Kingdom of Naples, Charles V, Half Ducaton

This coin shows a very naturalistic portrait of Emperor Charles V (1516-1556) from the House of Hapsburg. In the tradition of the antique Roman emperors, Charles wears a laurel wreath in his curls. Despite the flowing beard, the "Hapsburg lip" is easily recognizable. The protruding under lip origines from a overdevelopment of the lower jaw. The escutcheon on the reverse shows the crests of some of the realms under Charles' power: Castile, Leon, Aragon, Catalonia, Leon, Castile, Navarra, Aragon, Ausria, New-Burgundy, Old-Burgundy, Braband, and Hungary (from top down and from left to right). On the very bottom of the escutcheon is a pomegranate, the symbol of Granada.