John Palaeologus VIII
Medal
ca. 1438-1443 (made)
ca. 1438-1443 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is probably the earliest surviving Renaissance portrait medal. It shows the Byzantine emperor who travelled to Italy to take part in the discussions between the western and eastern churches in 1438–9. The image provided a prototype for an eastern ruler in exotic garb. Some early European depictions of Mehmed II show him in the same dress.
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (b.ca. 1395; d. 1455) was born Pisa or Verona, by 1395. He was an Italian painter, draughtsman and medallist. His richly decorative frescoes, courtly and elegant 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) was born Pisa or Verona, by 1395. He was an Italian painter, draughtsman and medallist. His richly decorative frescoes, courtly and elegant 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 | John Palaeologus VIII (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Cast bronze |
| Brief description | Medal, bronze, of John Palaeologus (1390-1448), by Pisanello, Italy (Verona), ca. 1438-1443 |
| Physical description | Medal in bronze of John Paleologus (1390-1448) Emperor of Byzantium . Obverse: bust to right of the Emperor, in a high hat with a peaked brim. Reverse: The Emperor on horse-back turned to the right stopping to pray before a wayside cross. To the left a page on a horse foreshortened from behind. Rocky background. The signature is given 'OPVS PISANI PICTORIS'. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 'OPVS PISANI PICTORIS' (reverse) |
| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | From the Salting bequest. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is probably the earliest surviving Renaissance portrait medal. It shows the Byzantine emperor who travelled to Italy to take part in the discussions between the western and eastern churches in 1438–9. The image provided a prototype for an eastern ruler in exotic garb. Some early European depictions of Mehmed II show him in the same dress. Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (b.ca. 1395; d. 1455) was born Pisa or Verona, by 1395. He was an Italian painter, draughtsman and medallist. His richly decorative frescoes, courtly and elegant 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 |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.169-1910 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 23, 2004 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
