This is a plaster cast of an original marble bust of Rinaldo della Luna at the age of 27 sculpted by Mino da Fiesole in Florence in 1461. The della Luna family were renowned as men of letters and humanists in Florence during the renaissance. The plaster cast was made in about 1885 by Oronzio Lelli, an Italian firm based in Florence.

Mino da Fiesole (or Mino di Giovanni)(ca. 1429 – 1484), was a sculptor from Tuscany specialising in marble. He was influenced by Desiderio da Settignano and Antonio Rosselino and is well known for his portrait busts.

Plaster casts were especially sought after during the 19th century, when reproductions of great works of sculpture and architecture were thought crucial for the training of artists. A separating substance was applied to the surface of the work to be reproduced, and a plaster mould made from that. The mould would then be used to make any number of additional plaster copies. These were often sold to artists, and later in the century to art colleges for study purposes.