Venetian Oselle. The gift from the Doge
After more than 10 years of research, the Banca Popolare di Vicenza has collected all the series of coins minted since 1521 until the fall of the Venetian Republic. Every year the Doge used to donate these oselle to the most important Venetian noble families replacing the ancietn traditional gift that consisted of a pair of wild ducks from the Marano lagoon, thus the name 'Oselle', 'wild fowls' in local dialect.
The 275 oselle of the collection are considered the most beautiful coins in the world : on the front they bore the image of the Doge in office at the time, kneeling before St. Mark and on the back they showed a commemorative image.
Information
Address: Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana - Piazzetta San Marco n.7 30124 Venezia (Entrance from the Museo Correr, Ala napoleonica of Piazza San Marco)
Web Site: http://marciana.venezia.sbn.it
Tel: +39.0.41.24.07.21.1
Opening times: from 7 March to 5 April, daily, 10am-5pm
Ticket: 'I Musei di Piazza San Marco'*: 12.00 €, reduction 6.50 €.
*Granting admission to Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Sale Monumentali della Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana.
