Medal: Niccolo Piccinino
Active in Verona and the Italian courts, the celebrated master Pisanello left behind a significant legacy, including a large corpus of drawings, several paintings, and the devopment of the Renaissance portrait medal. Inspired by Roman coins, with their portraits of rulers and allegorical representations on the reverse, the medals commemorated individuals or events and functioned as gifts and mementoes. This medal depicts Nicolo Piccinino, a renowned mercenary soldier of Perugia, who was in the service of the Duke of Milan, Filipp Maria Visconti, in the years 1440-41, when this medal was produced. The she-griffin of Perugia suckling two children decorates the reverse. The course aftercast may date to the nineteenth century.
Artwork Details
- Title: Medal: Niccolo Piccinino
- Artist: Pisanello (Antonio Pisano) (Italian, Pisa or Verona by 1395–1455)
- Date: model 1440–41 (possibly cast 19th century)
- Medium: Copper alloy with reddish brown patina and traces of dark wax; pierced.
- Dimensions: Diam. 8.7 cm, wt. 200.6 g.
- Classification: Medals
- Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
- Object Number: 1975.1.1303
- Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection
More Artwork
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Pisanello (Antonio Pisano)
Veronese
ca. 1441–44
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano)
model ca. 1445–47 (old aftercast)
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano)
ca. 1441–44 (possibly cast 16th century)
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano)
model ca. 1449–50 (possibly cast 19th or 20th century)
Pisanello (Antonio Pisano)
model 1439 (possibly cast 17th century)
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