Clement XI (1700-21) Anno II Saint-Urbain Medal

Bronze medal by Ferdinand de Saint Urbain of Pope Clement XI, anno II (1702), bust right; Reverse: an allegory of Doctrine enthroned in the clouds, motto: LUCET IN VULTU EIUS (Light Shines on her Face). 51.3mm, a contemporary cast of a struck original. Choice extremely fine with a few small stained spots. A strict enforcer of church doctrine, Clement XI played a role in the repression of Jansenism. On the artistic style of the medal, Nathan Whitman in ROMA RESURGENS writes: "Saint Urbain has... produced a splendid fusion of monumentality and late Baroque dynamism. One suspects that Clement XI, in his campaign against those challenging church doctrine, found this a satisfying and compelling image..."