Medal, bronze, Cecilia Gonzaga, by Pisanello, Italy, dated 1447
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1447
Medal depicts on the obverse the bust of Cecilia Gonzaga and on the reverse a maiden with a unicorn in a moonlit landscape. Pisanello was born in Pisa or Verona, by 1395 and was an Italian painter, draughtsman and 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.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- Diameter 8.55 cm
- Materials and techniques
- Bronze
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- Italy
Identification
- Candidate id
- vam-O350071
- Museum object number
- 7131-1860
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked single-object source. Wider type attribution and authenticity have not been independently verified.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type and source attribution against specialist references.