Medal — Federico Zuccaro, Italy, 1578
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1578
Medal in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number A.44-1978), made in Italy, dated 1578, attributed to de' Pastorini, Pastorino. The museum's brief description reads: Medal, bronze, Federico Zuccaro, by Pastorino, Italian, 1578, (or an enhanced aftercast of original).
Museum description: Obverse: Profile portrait bust of a sitter to right; bearded with short cropped hair; wearing gown with ruff, decorated at shoulder, buttoned down front. Pearled border and inscription. Reverse: Cupola of Florence Cathedral cut away to show interior with label below marked PINXIT. Pearled border and inscription. The museum records it as Bronze, measuring Diameter 5.03 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 medal is made by Pastorino, in 1578, or is an enhanced aftercast of the original. The sitter Federico Zuccaro (1543-1609) was a member of a family of painters, him being trained by his brother Taddeo. He worked in Rome, Florence, Spain and elsewhere in Europe. After the death of Vasari in 1574, he completed the paintings of the cupola of the Florence Cathedral, which is commemorated by this medal. De' Pastorini (b Castelnuovo della Berardenga, ca. 1508; d Florence, 6 Dec 1592) was an Italian medallist, glass painter and die-engraver. He was one of the most productive medallists of the Italian Renaissance, producing ca. 200 medals. He held several positions, like in the mints of Emilian courts in Ferrara (1554-9), in Bologna (1572), in Novellara (1574) and in Florence (1576). He was also well known and respected as a portraitist in coloured wax. He developed new materials and techniques to represent hair and skin.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- bronze
- Dimensions
- Diameter 5.03 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Bronze
- Maker recorded
- de' Pastorini, Pastorino
- Place recorded
- Italy
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- 'FEDERICVS ZVCCARVS . 1578. .P.'; 'PINXIT' [and] 'TENP [sic] . FRANC . MED . MAG . DVX . ETRVRIÆ'
Identification
- Museum object name
- Medal
- Museum object number
- A.44-1978
- Museum system number
- O312298
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.