Portrait medal of Niccolò Michiel (obverse); Alidea Contarini (reverse)

Fra Antonio da Brescia

ca. 1500 · Gilt bronze · Robert Lehman Collection

One of the most sympathetic portrait medals of the Italian Renaissance, this work conveys Niccolò Michiel’s age with great economy—hollow cheeks, tight lips, and an introspective mien. Michiel held various posts in the Venetian government and served as an ambassador. The medal was cast on the occasion of Michiel’s appointment as procurator of San Marco in 1500. In keeping with the spirit of the Venetian Republic, however, he and his wife (portrayed on the reverse) appear as modest citizens of indeterminate rank. Alidea Contarini, the wife of Niccolò Michiel (portrayed on the obverse), is rendered with the same uncompromising directness and modesty as her husband, as evidenced by the sagging flesh of aging cheeks and the thick neck.

Artist

Fra Antonio da Brescia

Date

ca. 1500

Medium

Gilt bronze

Culture

Italian, Venice

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975