Florence

Pietro Leopoldo di Lorena, Grand Duke of Tuscany 1765-1790

Fr-334; MIR 370/14, PCGS-graded MS-63

Splendid depiction of John the Baptist (St. John) and the lily of Florence; a very choice specimen.

Peter Leopold was Grand Duke of Tuscany, 1765-1790, and Holy Roman Emperor, 1790-1792. An able leader and administrator, his interest in science was demonstrated by his commissioning an astronomical observatory, as well as a museum of history and physics. A proponent of enlightened despotism, he never got much chance to practice his beliefs in the two years of his being Emperor.