Medal: Leonello d'Este
Active in Verona and the Italian courts, the celebrated master Pisanello left behind a significant legacy, including a large corpus of drawings, several paintings, and the devopment of the Renaissance portrait medal. Inspired by Roman coins, with their portraits of rulers and allegorical representations on the reverse, the medals commemorated individuals or events and functioned as gifts and mementoes. The obverse depicts Leonello d’Este (1407 – 1450), marquess of Ferrara. The reverse shows a triple-faced infant symbolizing Prudentia, flanked by pieces of armor hanging from olive branches. There are deliberate mutilations in the metal on the obverse, made with standard types of metalsmith’s punches. The aftercast possibly dates from the sixteenth century.
Artwork Details
- Title: Medal: Leonello d'Este
- Artist: Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (Italian, Pisa or Verona by 1395–1455)
- Date: ca. 1441–44 (possibly cast 16th century)
- Medium: Yellowish copper alloy with dark brown patina.
- Dimensions: Diam. 6.5 cm, wt. 127.71 g.
- Classification: Medals
- Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
- Object Number: 1975.1.1309
- Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection
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Pisanello (Antonio Pisano)
Veronese
ca. 1441–44
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano)
model ca. 1445–47 (old aftercast)
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano)
model ca. 1449–50 (possibly cast 19th or 20th century)
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano)
model 1440–41 (possibly cast 19th century)
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano)
model 1439 (possibly cast 17th century)
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