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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 64, The Wolfson Gallery

Medal

ca. 1480 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Florence (made)

This coin was probably commissioned in about 1480 by Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence, to commemorate his victory over the failed attack on the Medici family known as the Pazzi conspiracy. The central figure standing above three supplicants might symbolise Lorenzo reasserting his authority over his enemies.

This figure was inspired by an allegorical depiction of Rome on an ancient Roman sestertius (coin) of Trajan (Emperor from 98-117 AD). Ancient coins like this sestertius were collected by Renaissance scholars, who appropriated antique motifs and ideas for their own contemporary commissions.


Object details

Categories
Coins & Medals
Portraits
Object type
Medal
Materials and techniques
Cast bronze
Bronze
Cast
Brief description
Medal depicting Lorenzo de' Medici, medallist unknown, about 1470-90, Italy
Physical description
Medal, with bust of Lorenzo de' Medici in profile (obv.) and a male figure in antique armour (crested helmet and curass), holding a sword in his left hand and resting on a spear with his right, standing victorious over three supplicants (rev.). These are a figure with head on hand, and two river gods resting on urns from which streams flow. The crudely-worked inscription on both sides may have been punched in after the medal was cast.
Dimensions
  • Depth: 0.4cm
  • Diameter: 3.2cm
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Marks and inscriptions
  • Obv.: 'LAVRENTIVS MEDICES' Rev.: armed figure erect, with three others at his feet
    Translation
    'Lorenzo de' Medici'
  • (Rev.) 'OB CIVES SERVATOS', 'AGITIS IN FATVM'
Gallery label
MEDAL of Lorenzo de' Medici About 1470-90 This medal was made for Lorenzo de' Medici, effectively the ruler of Florence, and a passionate scholar and patron of the arts. The standing figure raising his arm in victory is borrowed from the brass coin of the Roman emperor Trajan, which you can see above. Italy, Florence Bronze Reverse Museum no. 4288-1857(2008)
Object history
This coin was probably produced ca. 1480 for Lorenzo de' Medici, possibly after the attack on the Medici family known as the Pazzi conspiracy (1478). The central figure standing above three supplicants might symbolise Lorenzo reasserting his authority over his enemies.
This figure was inspired by an allegorical depiction of Rome in an ancient Roman sestertius (coin) of Trajan (Emperor from 98-117 AD). The museum has an example of this coin (museum number A.707-1910). Ancient coins like this sestertius were collected by Renaissance scholars, who appropriated antique motifs and ideas for their own contemporary commissions.

Unlike the sestertius, this medal was cast not struck.

There are several examples of this medal in other museums, including the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Historical context
Unlike the Roman coin that inspired it this medal would not have been used as currency. Instead it was probably commissioned for Lorenzo de' Medici's personal use. Renaissance scholars and princes collected medals and also gave them as gifts to their contemporaries.
Subjects depicted
De' Medici, Lorenzo
Pazzi Conspiracy
Place depicted
Florence
Association
Pazzi Conspiracy
Summary
This coin was probably commissioned in about 1480 by Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence, to commemorate his victory over the failed attack on the Medici family known as the Pazzi conspiracy. The central figure standing above three supplicants might symbolise Lorenzo reasserting his authority over his enemies.

This figure was inspired by an allegorical depiction of Rome on an ancient Roman sestertius (coin) of Trajan (Emperor from 98-117 AD). Ancient coins like this sestertius were collected by Renaissance scholars, who appropriated antique motifs and ideas for their own contemporary commissions.
Associated object
A.707-1910
Bibliographic references
  • Hill, G. F. A corpus of Italian medals of the Renaissance before Cellini, London: British Museum, 1930, no. 916.
  • Draper, James David. Bertoldo di Giovanni: Sculptor of the Medici household, Colombia 1992, p. 257.
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1857. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 25.
  • Curtis, Penelope, Depth of Field: the place of relief in the time of Donatello, Leeds: Henry Moore Institute, 2004
Other number
916 - Hill no.
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
4588-1857

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Record createdAugust 5, 2005
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O115001/medal-unknown/
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