Ludovico Stanzani: Freemason Architect and coin connoisseur. Notes on his biography and collection

Abstract

The paper aims at illustrating the results of my latest researches on the life and coin collection of Ludovico Stanzani. The recent discovery of a plaster bust informs us, for example, about Stanzani’s affiliation to the Freemasonry and gives a face to his name. Some handwritten tickets accompanying his coins give evidence of the numismatic literature used to identify the pieces – probably by Stanzani himself or by someone who had access to his collection. In the Appendix figures the catalogue of a group of 150 specimens, among which Golden Horde issues and anonymous Mongol coins.