Medal, ONB 'Sorti devota futurae' - 1928
The bronze medal was produced for the Fascist youth organization Opera Nazionale Balilla (ONB) in 1928. It was possibly used as a prize medal for a competition organized by the ONB. The medal, which is also found in gold, has a diameter of 39.6 mm.
The medal was designed by the artist and sculptor Federigo Papi (1897-1982) and produced at F. M. Lorioli & Castelli in Milan. The obverse’s design was reused several times during the ventennio, with slightly modified reverses.
The
Latin legend of the coin manipulates a quote from Vergil (Verg. Aen.
1.712-14) referring to Dido: praecipue infelix,
pesti devota futurae, / expleri mentem nequit ardescitque tuendo /
Phoenissa (‘Above all, the unhappy Phoenician, doomed to impending
ruin, cannot satiate her soul, but takes fire as she gazes’; transl. by H.
Rushton Fairclough, rev. by G. P. Goold). On the medal, the formulation is
tweaked to become a positive message, with pesti (‘calamity,
misfortune’) changed into sorti (‘lot, fate’). Combined with
the images of the athletes, the phrase evokes stoic acceptance of the future,
self-confidence, and willingness to action.
Bibliography
Casolari,
Gianfranco. 1996. 25 anni di storia: medaglie e decorazioni
mussoliniane, 1922 - 1945. Tipolito
Giusti. [VI/31]
Erlend
Myklebust