Head of Christ
The obverse of this fine old aftercast depicts the head of
Christ; on the reverse is text within a wreath. The word
FINEM (instead of the usual EINEM) occurs only on
this work and on one in the former collection of King
George III (now in the British Museum, London). A Flemish painting may have served as the model for this type of medal, however, according to the reverse inscription,
it derives from an ancient cameo with the portrait of
Christ and the apostle Paul, which was sent to Pope
Innocent VIII by the sultan, from Constantinople in
1492. A monumental marble version of the same composition
was carved for Guillaume Goffier, lord of
Bonnivet and admiral of France, for his Castle Poitou,
about 1520 (now in the Musée Sainte-Croix, Poitiers).
Christ; on the reverse is text within a wreath. The word
FINEM (instead of the usual EINEM) occurs only on
this work and on one in the former collection of King
George III (now in the British Museum, London). A Flemish painting may have served as the model for this type of medal, however, according to the reverse inscription,
it derives from an ancient cameo with the portrait of
Christ and the apostle Paul, which was sent to Pope
Innocent VIII by the sultan, from Constantinople in
1492. A monumental marble version of the same composition
was carved for Guillaume Goffier, lord of
Bonnivet and admiral of France, for his Castle Poitou,
about 1520 (now in the Musée Sainte-Croix, Poitiers).
Artwork Details
- Title: Head of Christ
- Date: model ca. 1500 (old aftercast)
- Culture: Italian, Rome
- Medium: Copper alloy, partly painted in red and flesh tones; pierced.
- Dimensions: Diam. 8.5 cm, wt. 130.88 g.
- Classification: Medals
- Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
- Object Number: 1975.1.1257
- Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Italian, Rome
1575–90 (rebuilt, with replacements)
Bartolomeo Vivarini
ca. 1465
Osservanza Master
ca. 1435
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia)
ca. 1455–60
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia)
ca. 1455
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.