This is a bronze medal made by Matteo de' Pasti (active 1441-1467) in the 15th century in Italy, before 1457. The obverse of this medal represents Sigimondo Pandolfo Malatesta, the Lord of Rimini, and the reverse shows Fortitude seated on two elephants.

Matteo de’ Pasti of Verona is first heard of in Venice, where he was working for Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici on illustrations of the Triumphs of Petrarch. He settled at Rimini in 1446 and married Lisa Baldegara and rose to honour in the court of Sigismondo Malatesta and acquired lands in Rimini in 1451. He made numerous medals of Sigismondo Malatesta. He was the most accomplished among the immediate followers of Pisanello, although how far he was actually associated with him is a matter of conjecture. His versatility was considerable and his reputation ranged from architect, sculptor, painter and illuminator to medallist.

Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (1417-1468), Lord of Rimini, was a condottiere, or mercenary soldier, who in the mid-fifteenth century became the ruler of Rimini, Fano and Cesena on the east coast of Italy. Alongside political and military activities Sigismundo was a highly cultured patron of the arts and sciences, influenced by the Humanist court in Ferrara. Under his rule, Rimini became a centre of Renaissance learning, and, like many Italian humanist rulers, Sigismondo embraced the portrait medal as propaganda.