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Medal, Inauguration of Solkan Bridge 'Nil ardui' - 1927
AUTHOR
THEMES/GENRES
This medal, produced in bronze and gilded bronze with
a diameter of 32 mm, was designed by Emilio Monti and minted at the Milanese
workshop of Stefano Johnson in 1927. The design was also used for a 115 mm
plaque. The design was made to commemorate the inauguration of a bridge across
the river Isonzo, near Nova Gorica in modern-day Slovenia, which had been the
location of several large battles during the First World War.
The medal’s obverse features a depiction of the
bridge, called the Ponte di Salcano (Solkan Bridge). In the background a
group of men are depicted riding a flock of Pegasuses. The Latin legend on the
obverse is a reference to Horace (Car. 1.3.37). In Horace, the words are
part of a description of humanity’s attempts at going beyond its limits. Arduist
is an unusual spelling of the elision of ardui est (as it is found
in most modern editions of the text).
The Latin on the reverse is an original composition,
describing the context of the construction of the bridge. The bridge, which
before the First World War was part of Austrian territory, had been destroyed
by Austrian soldiers in 1916, here described as odiis diruptus. The text
plays with the repetition of the adjective adversus (‘opposing’), using
it with both ripas (‘opposing banks’) and gentibus (‘enemy
peoples’). The use of the adverb ardue connects the composition to the
Horatian phrase on the obverse. The year is given according to the Fascist
dating system. A reclined male figure holding a spear decorates the reverse;
perhaps this is supposed to represent the river god Aesontius, a
personification of the Isonzo.
Italy’s role during the First World War was central to
Fascist rhetoric, lauding the Italian heroes and denouncing the foreign
enemies. The territorial gains from Austria-Hungary were also a point of pride,
and attempts were made to ‘civilise’ the newly acquired citizens and erect
constructions similar to those of the Roman Empire. Against his background, rebuilding
a bridge in lands regained from the Austro-Hungarian armies held special
symbolical significance.
Bibliography
Casolari, Gianfranco. 1996. 25 anni di storia: medaglie e decorazioni mussoliniane, 1922 - 1945. Tipolito Giusti. [V.81]
Erlend Myklebust
Obverse: Nil mortalibus arduist
Nothing is too difficult for mortals.
Reverse: Odiis diruptus adversas ripas adversis gentibus victis Sontii fluminis pons levis unus ardue celsus iterum coniungit. Anno V
Once shattered by hate, the opposing banks of the Isonzo river, with opposing peoples defeated, are reconnected by a single, light, steeply ascending bridge. In year 5.