This medal is made by Pastorini de' Pastorini. De' Pastorini (b Castelnuovo della Berardenga, c. 1508; d Florence, 6 Dec 1592) was an Italian medallist, glass painter and die engraver. He was one of the most productive medallists of the Italian Renaissance, producing ca. 200 medals. He held several positions, like in the mints of Emilian courts in Ferrara (1554-9), in Bologna (1572), in Novellara (1574) and in Florence (1576). He was also well known and respected as a portraitist in coloured wax. He developed new materials and techniques to represent hair and skin.
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. Many specialist sculptors were attracted to the art form. It was recognised that there was a ready market for medals among the growing class of collectors, usually members of the intelligensia or the gentry, who were attracted to small-scale works of art. The medal format proved ideal for this type of personal and intimate object.