Medal — Aldo Manuzio, Italy, after 1503
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
after 1503
Medal in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 715-1865), made in Italy, dated after 1503. The museum's brief description reads: Medal, bronze, bust of Aldo Manuzio, Italian (Venice), after 1503..
Museum description: This is a bronze medal made in Venice, Italy, after 1503. The obverse of this medal represents the bust of Aldo Manuzio the elder. Aldus Pius Manutius (Bassiano, 1449 – Venice, February 6, 1515) — also called Aldus Manutius, the Elder was an Italian humanist who became a printer and publisher. He founded the Aldine Press at Venice. Manuzio draws a block capital which gets closer to the handwritten writing, and calls it italics type.
It takes less space on paper than the usual characters. He also invented a new format for books that was smaller thus creating the forerunner of our pocket-sized books. The books at the time were big and heavy, so Aldo had the idea to fold the big sheets of paper into 8, which then creates 16 printed pages. He called it octavo, as the book was eight times smaller. Aldo had chosen as his logo for the Aldine press an anchor and a dolphin, symbols of reliabilty and speed.
The museum records it as Bronze, measuring Diameter 5.08 cm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This is a bronze medal made in Venice, Italy, after 1503. The obverse of this medal represents the bust of Aldo Manuzio the elder. Aldus Pius Manutius (Bassiano, 1449 – Venice, February 6, 1515) — also called Aldus Manutius, the Elder was an Italian humanist who became a printer and publisher. He founded the Aldine Press at Venice. Manuzio draws a block capital which gets closer to the handwritten writing, and calls it italics type. It takes less space on paper than the usual characters. He also invented a new format for books that was smaller thus creating the forerunner of our pocket-sized books. The books at the time were big and heavy, so Aldo had the idea to fold the big sheets of paper into 8, which then creates 16 printed pages. He called it octavo, as the book was eight times smaller. Aldo had chosen as his logo for the Aldine press an anchor and a dolphin, symbols of reliabilty and speed.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- bronze
- Dimensions
- Diameter 5.08 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Bronze
- Place recorded
- Italy
Identification
- Museum object name
- Medal
- Museum object number
- 715-1865
- Museum system number
- O154116
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, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.