Medal, cast brass, 'Midsummer Night's Dream', by Bogomil Nikolov, Bulgaria, 2006.

Two Renaissance medallic portraits joined around a hinge to simulate a portable diptych.

Professor Bogomil Nikolov is head of the Metal Department and the Medallic Sculpture Studio at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia and a medallist of international standing. Described as 'the very souls of Bulgaria in art medals' (Scarinci, 2007), Nikolov may be considered as the single driving force behind the extraordinary medallic output in Bulgaria since the 1970s (Mullaly, 1995). Unflaggingly energetic, he has introduced generations of students to medallic art and regularly organises national and international medallic workshops (Rozeva Green, 2004). Nikolov holds many awards and distinctions and his work is represented in collections across Europe.

Bogomil Nikolov's characteristically witty pieces ally a consummate understanding of the tradition of medal-making to an original approach of the medium.
In the series of three medals Midsummer Night's Dream, Nikolov pays homage to the Italian Renaissance origins of medal-making. This specimen is the third in the series, completed in 2006. The medal quotes two medallic portraits, that of Cosimo de Medici (Florentine, 15th century, of which a specimen is on display in the V&A's Medieval and Renaissance galleries, Museum no. A.284-1910) and an as yet identified medal whose sitter looks very similar to Ludovica Tornabuoni as portrayed in a medal in the style of Niccolo Fiorentino.
By excluding half of each medal from the composition, Nikolov creates enigmatic portraits, encouraging the viewer to search for the identify of the sitters. Brought together around a hinge, the pair simulates a portable diptych, the intimate feel of which is further enhanced by the small, handheld format. Nikolov plays with the beholder's expectations - as the medal is cast in one piece, the hinge is ineffective, thus imposing a frontal, open view of the double-portrait.

This is the third of Midsummer Night's Dream, a series of three medals in which Bogomil Nikolov pays homage to the origins of medal-making. Two Renaissance medallic portraits are brought together around a hinge to simulate a portable diptych. By excluding half of the sitters' features, the artist encourages the viewer to search for their identity. Nikolov plays further with the beholder's expectations: since the medal is cast in one piece, the hinge is ineffective.

A.1-2012