Portrait medal Queen Christina of Sweden

Obverse: Profile portrait bust of Queen Christina of Sweden to right, a chemise visible on the right shoulder beneath a gown trimmed around the neckline with fur and fastened at the right shoulder with a brooch; her hair dressed up at the back with beads; inscribed.

Reverse: The whole field occupied by rays emanating in concentric circles from the sun with a human face, placed above the bottom edge and with G and D (for 'Gratia Deo' - 'Thanks be to God') to either side of the sun's face at the edge of the rays, with raised moulding around the border. This medal depicting Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689) is made my Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi (1656-1740), in Rome in ca. 1681.

Massimiliano Soldani was an Italian sculptor, medallist and goldsmith, who is considered to be the last great Florentine bronze worker in the tradition leading from Lorenzo Ghiberti through Giambologna to Pietro Tacca and Ferdinando Tacca. The medals were struck in the Papal Mint under the control of Giovanni Hamerani, Master of the Mint who retained the dies and also had moulds for casting medals.