Plaque, Celebration of Lateran Pacts 'Mussolini triumphator' - 1930
This
bronze, uniface plaque, with a diameter of 220 mm, was designed by the artist
Filippo Sgarlata in 1930. It features Mussolini in profile wearing a Roman
uniform. The medal was probably made to celebrate the Lateran Pacts, as a
similar medal with the profile of Pope Pius XI by the artist exists from the
same year, although this has not yet been confirmed.
The
Latin word triumphator is first attested in post-classical Latin where it is
both used as an equivalent to victor, and as an epithet for Jupiter, the Greek
hero Hercules, and emperors (especially in inscriptions). During the Fascist
period, Mussolini was both associated with the Roman emperors and with
Hercules. Mussolini’s association with Hercules is also attested in other
works, such as the medal celebrating the Herculaneum excavations. Additionally,
the word is derived from the interjection triumphe, commonly associated with
Emperor Augustus through Horace’s Ode 4.2. In this way, the idea of Italy and
the world proclaiming Mussolini as triumphator may evoke allusions to imperial,
heroic, and even divinely sanctioned power.
Bibliography
Numismatica
Italiana, “Uniface a Benito Mussolini 220mm”, W-ME61H/133-1.
Erlend Myklebust
© Sintoni