Medal, portrait of Vittoria della Rovere, Florence, 1685

The bronze medal depicts the Grand Duchess Vittoria della Rovere, in profile to the right, dressed in the typical clothing of the oblate of the Montalve Congregation, of whose she was patroness and protector. The bust of the Grand Duchess, depicted on the obverse, is striking with its imposing presence.

The finely draped veil frames Vittoria’s face, endowed with the roundness – particularly in the area of the chin – noticeable in all later portraits of the Grand Duchess. These include a coloured relief in pietre dure (hardstones) in the V&A collection (Museum no. 146-1869), probably made by Giuseppe Antonio Torricelli, which depicts a profile portrait of Vittoria similar to that on the medal. The reverse of the medal shows a pictural representation of the Triumph of Galatea. The Nereid in the centre of the scene, standing on a shell chariot pulled by dolphins, is surrounded by a cheerful cortege of tritons, nymphs, and other sea creatures.

She holds in her arms a large oyster valve with a pearl, the figurative elements of the Grand Duchess’s personal device (impresa), which has for its motto the Plinian-derived words “Dos in candore” (Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, IX, 56, 112: “Dos in omnibus candore”). Vittoria’s emblem and motto had been conceived several years earlier by Francesco Rondinelli (1589-1665), Grand Duke Ferdinando II’s librarian, who was the Grand Duchess’s personal instructor. The intention was to represent allusively the purity, candour, and nobility of Vittoria, which are the intrinsic qualities of the beautiful pearl generated in the oyster shell.

This was the image of herself that the erudite Vittoria, very religious and committed to the principle of purity, wanted to leave to posterity. The medal is signed and dated, but the occasion for which it was commissioned is unknown. On the V&A cast, the inscriptions with the artist's signature and the date are hardly visible. This may be due to wear and tear, but the possibility that it is an aftercast cannot be excluded. Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656-1740) played a major role in the revival of the art of medal in Tuscany. Born in Montevarchi he moved to Florence in 1675, at the age of nineteen, to train as a sculptor. It was not long before Cosimo III came across some of the sculptor's early works.

The sovereign realised that Soldani had the potential to realise his aspirations of relaunching the Grand Duchy's production of medals and coins. From a young age, Cosimo had developed a deep interest in the art of medals, probably also stimulated by the results achieved in this field in capitals such as London and Paris, which he visited during his youth when he extensively toured Europe. Meeting with Soldani was crucial for the Grand Duke, who was able to put his plans into action. After supporting financially 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.

There, Soldani was introduced to the medallist Giovanni Pietro Travani to acquire the skills in the art of die-engraving. At the same time, the artist continued to practise the wax modelling, a fundamental art to become a skilled sculptor and medallist. He was also asked to study the drawing with Ciro Ferri practice copying ancient bas-reliefs to develop his skills in designing medal reverses. In 1682, Cosimo III sent Soldani to Paris for a further training with the Flemish medallist Joseph Roettiers (1635-1703), medallist to the king and master of the French Mint.

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-scale cast medals, a genre that enjoyed extraordinary fortune in Tuscany at the time. On his return Soldani was also employed in the Florentine Mint, of which he became Master from 1688. Medal, bronze. Obverse side: Vittoria della Rovere, portrayed in profile to the right, with veils on the head and shoulders, fastened on the chest with a pin with a hanging cross. Inscription around the rim. Reverse side: In the centre of the scene Galatea shows an open oyster with a pearl. Depicted in a prominent position, on a shell chariot pulled by dolphins, the Nereid is surrounded by other nymphs and sea creatures.

Signed “M.S.” and dated 1685 (barely visible)