Bust of Leonello, Marquess of Este
Medal
ca. 1450 (made)
ca. 1450 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a bronze medal made by Pisanello of Verona in Italy, about 1450. The obverse of this medal represents Leonello, the Marquess of Este and the reverse shows two naked men holding baskets of fruit on their shoulders.
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (b.ca. 1395; d. 1455) who was born in Pisa or Verona, by 1395 was an Italian painter, draughtsman and medallist. His richly decorative frescoes, courtly and elegantly painted portraits and highly original portrait medals made him one of the most popular artists of the day. He travelled extensively and worked for several Italian courts, at Mantua, Ferrara, Pavia, Milan and Naples. Many of his paintings have been lost or damaged, making a reconstruction of his career difficult. He is now better known as a medallist.
Two-sided Renaissance portrait medals were a form developed by Pisanello, and commemorated individuals or events and functioned as gifts and mementoes. They were inspired by the Roman coins, with their portraits of rulers and allegorical representations on the reverse, excavated all over Italy and eagerly collected by humanist scholars.
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (b.ca. 1395; d. 1455) who was born in Pisa or Verona, by 1395 was an Italian painter, draughtsman and medallist. His richly decorative frescoes, courtly and elegantly painted portraits and highly original portrait medals made him one of the most popular artists of the day. He travelled extensively and worked for several Italian courts, at Mantua, Ferrara, Pavia, Milan and Naples. Many of his paintings have been lost or damaged, making a reconstruction of his career difficult. He is now better known as a medallist.
Two-sided Renaissance portrait medals were a form developed by Pisanello, and commemorated individuals or events and functioned as gifts and mementoes. They were inspired by the Roman coins, with their portraits of rulers and allegorical representations on the reverse, excavated all over Italy and eagerly collected by humanist scholars.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Bust of Leonello, Marquess of Este (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze |
| Brief description | Medal, bronze, depicting bust of Leonello, Marquess of Este, by Pisanello, Italian, ca.1450 |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Bought from the Soulages Collections in 1865 for £3. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is a bronze medal made by Pisanello of Verona in Italy, about 1450. The obverse of this medal represents Leonello, the Marquess of Este and the reverse shows two naked men holding baskets of fruit on their shoulders. Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (b.ca. 1395; d. 1455) who was born in Pisa or Verona, by 1395 was an Italian painter, draughtsman and medallist. His richly decorative frescoes, courtly and elegantly painted portraits and highly original portrait medals made him one of the most popular artists of the day. He travelled extensively and worked for several Italian courts, at Mantua, Ferrara, Pavia, Milan and Naples. Many of his paintings have been lost or damaged, making a reconstruction of his career difficult. He is now better known as a medallist. Two-sided Renaissance portrait medals were a form developed by Pisanello, and commemorated individuals or events and functioned as gifts and mementoes. They were inspired by the Roman coins, with their portraits of rulers and allegorical representations on the reverse, excavated all over Italy and eagerly collected by humanist scholars. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 678-1865 |
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| Record created | February 16, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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