Material: Bronze
Size: 30 mm
Description: Left-facing bust of King Vittorio Emanuele III with surrounding legend VITTORIO EMANUELE III.
Reverse: A centaur drawing a bow, symbolizing martial skill and disciplined precision. Surrounding inscription reads IN EXERCITIO GARE DI TIRO, referring to shooting exercises or competitions, with BARBARVM below in classical Latin styling. The engraver’s signature MISTRUZZI appears beneath the centaur.
Circa: 1920s–1930s
Notes:
Issued during the reign of Vittorio Emanuele III, these medals were associated with marksmanship competitions organized by the Italian military and national shooting organizations. The centaur archer reflects the classical imagery frequently used in Italian medallic art to symbolize strength, discipline, and precision in martial training. The design was engraved by Aurelio Mistruzzi, one of Italy’s most prominent 20th-century medalists and an engraver associated with the Royal Mint of Rome. Mistruzzi produced numerous official coins and medals for the Kingdom of Italy and later the Italian Republic. The king on the medal, Vittorio Emanuele III, was actually one of the greatest coin collectors ever. He assembled an enormous numismatic collection and authored the monumental reference work Corpus Nummorum Italicorum cataloguing Italian coinage.