Vittorino da Feltre
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Pisanello’s portrait of the leading humanities teacher of his day was praised for capturing the seriousness of his countenance. Made probably just after Vittorino’s death in 1446, and cast in fairly large numbers, the medal was made to preserve his memory eternally. Pisanello balances the elegant shape of the scholar’s profile with the immaculate lettering, but also included highly specific details like the stubbly chin.
reverse:
The unusually long Latin inscription contains Pisanello’s signature and proclaims Vittorino ‘mathematician and father of all the humanities’. Astonishingly, Pisanello turns a well-known symbol of Christ’s sacrifice – the pelican piercing her breast to feed her young with her blood – into an emblem of Vittorino’s selfless teaching.
reverse:
The unusually long Latin inscription contains Pisanello’s signature and proclaims Vittorino ‘mathematician and father of all the humanities’. Astonishingly, Pisanello turns a well-known symbol of Christ’s sacrifice – the pelican piercing her breast to feed her young with her blood – into an emblem of Vittorino’s selfless teaching.
Artwork Details
- Title: Vittorino da Feltre
- Maker: Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (Italian, Pisa or Verona by 1395–1455)
- Date: ca. 1446
- Culture: Italian
- Medium: Copper alloy, cast
- Dimensions: Overall: 66 mm
- Classification: Medals and Plaquettes
- Credit Line: Collection of Dr. Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts