Portrait medal of Jacopo Antonio Sorra (obverse); A Nude Male Figure Shooting Arrows (reverse)

Antonio Abondio Italian

Not on view

Antonio Abondio was an Italian medallist who achieved great success in the courts north of the Alps. Abondio appears to have left Italy first in 1565–6 for employment by the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II in Innsbruck and Ambras and by the Emperor Maximilian II. This is Abondio’s earliest dated medal, probably cast in Milan before he left Italy for the imperial court in Vienna.

Nothing is known of the sitter, who may have been a member of the Sorra family of Modena and Bologna. The reverse depicts a nude man shooting arrows at a mark—an allusion to the aurea mediocritas (the middle way or golden mean) and the exercise of prudence. The inference is: Do not aim for perfection, which even the gods cannot achieve. The inscription, Non Semper, translates as "not always."

Portrait medal of Jacopo Antonio Sorra (obverse); A Nude Male Figure Shooting Arrows (reverse), Antonio Abondio (Italian, Trento 1538–1591 Vienna), Bronze (Copper alloy with a worn, dark brown patina over a light brown patina)

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Portrait medal of Jacopo Antonio Sorra (obverse); A Nude Male Figure Shooting Arrows (reverse), Antonio Abondio (Italian, Trento 1538–1591 Vienna), Bronze (Copper alloy with a worn, dark brown patina over a light brown patina)
Portrait medal of Jacopo Antonio Sorra (obverse); A Nude Male Figure Shooting Arrows (reverse), Antonio Abondio (Italian, Trento 1538–1591 Vienna), Bronze (Copper alloy with a worn, dark brown patina over a light brown patina)
Portrait medal of Jacopo Antonio Sorra (obverse); A Nude Male Figure Shooting Arrows (reverse), Antonio Abondio (Italian, Trento 1538–1591 Vienna), Bronze (Copper alloy with a worn, dark brown patina over a light brown patina)
Portrait medal of Jacopo Antonio Sorra (obverse); A Nude Male Figure Shooting Arrows (reverse), Antonio Abondio (Italian, Trento 1538–1591 Vienna), Bronze (Copper alloy with a worn, dark brown patina over a light brown patina)

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.