Lion Hunt

Lion Hunt — Sculpture, by Moderno (Italian, 1467–1528), made in Netherlands or Germany, 16th century, dated 1581 or later. The front of this medal contains an animated lion hunt; a nude male defends himself with his shield against an attacking lion while other nude horsemen and soldiers join in the fray.

Contrasted against this high relief and classical motif, the reverse has an engraving of ten scenes from the Passion of Christ organized within cloister-like architecture. Starting with the "Last Supper" (on the far left in the center row), the story moves clockwise, ending in the two central scenes that depict Christ's deposition in the tomb and then his miraculous resurrection. The date 1581 is engraved on the altar in the scene of the resurrected Christ.

The same Passion composition was also used for the reverse of a 1564 medal for the King of Poland, Sigismund Augustus (1520-1572). The tooling of the relief and the format of the Passion scenes correspond to prototypes and workmanship that suggest the medal was made by a Northern follower of Moderno. Physical description: silver; Diameter: 6.6 cm (2 5/8 in.).