Medal, bronze, Giovanni Matteo Marchetti, Florence, 1702

The medal depicts Giovanni Matteo Marchetti (1647-1704) who became bishop of Arezzo in 1691. It was commissioned to Massimiliano Soldani Benzi to commemorate the construction of the large palace that the sitter had built in Pistoia, his hometown. Although the V&A cast has no reverse, various casts of the medal with the reverse are known. It depicts the palace with the motto “HINC.PRISCAE.REDENTV.ARTES.”.

The V&A medal is likely to be an early cast considering its quality and sharpness. The curly, lively locks of hair, coming out of the skullcap, and the facial hair are outlined with great attention to detail. The bags under the bishop's eyes and his double chin show the artist's desire to create a vivid and truthful portrait, while still clearly expressing the dignity of the character. The slightly unbuttoned mozzetta and flowing collar help to brighten the portrait.

The sovereign understood that Soldani had the potential to realise his aspirations of relaunching the Grand Duchy's production of medals and coins. After financially supporting an 11-month apprenticeship at the Old Florentine Mint, Cosimo sent Soldani to Rome in 1678 to train at the Medici Academy under the supervision of the painter Ciro Ferri and the sculptor Ercole Ferrata. At the same time, the artist continued to practise wax modelling, a fundamental skill to become a sculptor and medallist. He was also asked to study the drawing with Ciro Ferri practice copying ancient bas-reliefs to develop his ability in designing medal reverses.

After having enriched his artistic background with Baroque suggestions in Rome and the lesson of the elegant French medal-making, he returned to Florence where he established himself as the leader of large cast medals, a genre that enjoyed extraordinary fortune in Tuscany at the time. Medal, bronze. The medal shows on the obverse the profile bust of Giovanni Matteo Marchetti (1647-1704), bishop of Arezzo, with moustache and goatee. The sitter wears a zucchetto and a hooded mozzetta buttoned only at the top, from which emerges the collar of the robe worked with an effect of great naturalism. The medal is signed “S” in the truncation of the arm and dated “1702” along the rim, un the truncation of the arm.