Antonio Calmone
Medal
1570 (made)
1570 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This medal depicts Antonio Calmone, the secretary of Philip II. It is made by Pietro Paolo Galeotti (active 1550 - d. 1584).
Cast in bronze or lead, the Renaissance portrait medal commemorated individuals or events. They were used as gifts and mementoes and were inspired by Roman coins, with their portraits of rulers and allegorical representations on the reverse, excavated all over Italy and eagerly collected by humanists.
The medal is from the Salting bequest. George Salting was a prolific collector in a number of areas, including Chinese and Japanese ceramics and European art. By 1874 his collection had outgrown his residence in St. James's Street, prompting him to lend items to the South Kensington Museum. After his death in 1909, the majority of this astonishing collection passed to the V&A, where it was shown in its own galleries.
Cast in bronze or lead, the Renaissance portrait medal commemorated individuals or events. They were used as gifts and mementoes and were inspired by Roman coins, with their portraits of rulers and allegorical representations on the reverse, excavated all over Italy and eagerly collected by humanists.
The medal is from the Salting bequest. George Salting was a prolific collector in a number of areas, including Chinese and Japanese ceramics and European art. By 1874 his collection had outgrown his residence in St. James's Street, prompting him to lend items to the South Kensington Museum. After his death in 1909, the majority of this astonishing collection passed to the V&A, where it was shown in its own galleries.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Antonio Calmone (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze |
| Brief description | Medal, bronze, Antonio Calmone, by Pietro Paolo Galeotti, Italy, probably 1570 |
| Physical description | Medal depicts on teh obverse the bust to the right of Calmone, bearded, wearing a doublet with high collar, and a ruff. Inscription. On the reverse a rose-tree growing through a tangle of fallen branches. Inscription. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Object history | From the Salting bequest. |
| Production | probably 1570 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This medal depicts Antonio Calmone, the secretary of Philip II. It is made by Pietro Paolo Galeotti (active 1550 - d. 1584). Cast in bronze or lead, the Renaissance portrait medal commemorated individuals or events. They were used as gifts and mementoes and were inspired by Roman coins, with their portraits of rulers and allegorical representations on the reverse, excavated all over Italy and eagerly collected by humanists. The medal is from the Salting bequest. George Salting was a prolific collector in a number of areas, including Chinese and Japanese ceramics and European art. By 1874 his collection had outgrown his residence in St. James's Street, prompting him to lend items to the South Kensington Museum. After his death in 1909, the majority of this astonishing collection passed to the V&A, where it was shown in its own galleries. |
| Bibliographic reference | 'Salting Bequest (A. 70 to A. 1029-1910) / Murray Bequest (A. 1030 to A. 1096-1910)'. In: List of Works of Art Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum (Department of Architecture and Sculpture). London: Printed under the Authority of his Majesty's Stationery Office, by Eyre and Spottiswoode, Limited, East Harding Street, EC, p. 36 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.266-1910 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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