Bronze 1456, by Gian Francesco Enzola. Ø 42 mm. Arm.I 44/6; Kress 92.
Obv.:
FRanciscus SFORTIA VICECOMES MedioLanI DVX IIII BELLI PATER ET PACIS AVTOR MCCCCLVI
armored bust right between ·V· - ·F·
(V F = Vivas Francise or Votum Fecit [a promise made] ?)
Rev.: IOannis FRancisci ENZOLAE PARMENSIS OPVS - Under a tree, a greyhound seated;
a hand issuing from a radiant cloud nearly touches him; a bridle with open buckle lies on the ground
and is tied to the tree by chain.

his is the figure of the 'impresa' called 'cane sotta il pino' (dog under a pine), created for Bernabo Visconti (1354-85), a passionate hunter and holder of greyhounds.
An 'impesa' consists of a figure (called body) and a motto (called soul).
The motto "QUIETUM NEMO IMPUNE LACESSIT" (eng. 'do not tease the sleeping dog' meaning 'no impunity for attack on peace') is missing on the medal. The figure of this impresa was used on the cloak of Francesco at his wedding to Bianca Maria Visconti, as presented on the Altar-picture of San Sigismondo church in Cremona from 1441.
Compare the figure on a capital at the Rocchetta courtyard in Castello Sforzesco, Milan.
Note on the imagery: In the heraldics of the 15th to 16th century, it became popular throughout Italy to design personal emblems. They had to consist of a symbol illustrating an event in the person's life and an inscription with a suitable motto or 'devise'. Often, one person would use a number of different symbols. These so called 'imprese' were used alongside the family's coat of arms. The 'imprese' were considered a new genre for which a number of rules applied (s. Paolo Giovio, Dialogo dell'imprese militari et amorose, 1555). A well composed 'impresa' was to be a little enigmatic, comprehensible to the initiated but not easily accessible to the crowd. The 'imprese' are found as decoration in print, in paintings, on clothes, in gardens, on and in buildings, and on coins and medals.

Giovanni Maria Visconti was born in Abbiategrasso. Following his father's death, he assumed the title of duke at the age of thirteen, under his mother's regency. The Duchy of Milan soon disintegrated: among the various parties contending its lands, the condottiero Facino Cane prevailed.
Taking advantage of Gian Maria's cruelty, he managed to create in him doubts about Caterina, who was imprisoned in Monza, where she died on 17 October 1404, probably murdered. The duke was famous for his dogs, which were trained to slaughter men.

September 1404
He leaves Piacenza, passes the Lomellina with fury and resumes the fight against the Guelphs who rebelled during his absence in the Alessandria area. He throws himself on Cairo Lomellina and Frascarolo (the castle is razed to the ground); he demolishes the fortifications of Olevano di Lomellina, occupies the lands of Sant'Angelo Lomellina and Cilavegna; he lets the soldiers return to give the breakdown in the Pavia area, especially in Stradella. Finally, he occupies Valencia without encountering particular obstacles.

Oct. Lombardy
After the death of the Duchess Caterina Visconti in Monza, where she took refuge to resist the Ghibelline vendettas, Facino Cane defended the claims of the new Duke of Milan Giovanni Maria Visconti against Malatesta and Giovanni da Vignate. The latter leave Trezzo sull'Adda to focus on Milan.

Appearance and personality
Giovanni Maria was famous for his passion for hunting and when he was bored with killing beasts that in any case could not complain enough, to satisfy his sadistic pleasure , he had his mastiff dogs trained by a certain Squarcia Giramo to chase and tear apart (slash) living men. Initially he had all those convicted for his human hunting parties delivered by the courts of Milan, and later he also denounced his accomplices of the crimes, to make up for the lack of those convicted for their own jokes. Even illustrious men of the city of Milan ended up mauled by his mastiffs, including his relatives. The same fate caused the castellan of Monza, Giovanni Pusterla, accusing him of the death of his mother Caterina. It is said that, when in May 1409 , while the war still lasted, the hungry people invoked peace for his passage, he unleashed his soldiers upon them; and after that he forbade, legend has it, on pain of the gallows, to pronounce the words "peace" and "war", and even obliged the ecclesiastics to say in the Mass dona nobis tranquillitatem , in place of pacem .