Medal — Niccolo Piccinino, Verona, ca. 1441
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1441
Medal in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number A.170-1910), made in Verona, dated ca. 1441, attributed to Pisanello. The museum's brief description reads: Medal, bronze, of Niccolo Piccinino (1380-1444), by Pisanello, Italy (Verona), ca.
1441. Museum description: Medal in bronze of Niccolo Piccinino (1380-1444), a mercenary soldier. Obverse; bust to left of Piccinino, in armour, wearing a high soft hat with turned-up brim. Reverse; A gryphon turned to the left, suckling two children. It wears a collar inscribed, 'PERVSIA'. The signature is given 'PISANI. P. OPVS'. The museum records it as Cast bronze, measuring Diameter 89 mm. 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 medal depicts the bust of Niccolo Piccinino, who was a mercenary soldier of Perugia (1380-1444). It is made by Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (b.ca. 1395; d. 1455) who was born in Pisa or Verona, by 1395. He was an Italian painter, draughtsman and medallist. His richly decorative frescoes, courtly and elegant painted portraits and highly original portrait medals made him one of the most popular artists of the day. He travelled extensively and worked for several Italian courts, at Mantua, Ferrara, Pavia, Milan and Naples. Many of his paintings have been lost or damaged, making a reconstruction of his career difficult. He is now better known as a 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.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- bronze
- Dimensions
- Diameter 89 mm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Cast bronze
- Maker recorded
- Pisanello
- Place recorded
- Verona
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- '.NICOLAVS . PICININVS . VICECOMES . MARCHIO . CAPITANEVS . MAX . AC . MARS . ALTER'; '. BRACCIVS . / N . PICININVS / PISANI . P . OPVS'
Identification
- Museum object name
- Medal
- Museum object number
- A.170-1910
- Museum system number
- O93578
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.