Portrait medal of Camilla Buondelmonti Salviati (obverse); Personification of Hope (reverse)

Niccolò Fiorentino (Niccolò di Forzore Spinelli)

model ca. 1490 (possibly cast 16th or 17th century) · Bronze · Robert Lehman Collection

This unsigned medal falls within a large group of medals attributed to the style of Niccolò Fiorentino. The portrait is typical of the artist’s bold style and use of high relief. The medal was made in 1490, the year Camilla Buondelmonti married Giannozzo di Bernardo Salviati, who later became controller of the Opera del Duomo in Florence. On the reverse, the personification of Hope, one of the three theological virtues, stands upon a rocky outcropping in a billowing garment. She clasps her hands in prayer before a radiant sun and is accompanied by the legend "I hope in God." Similar subjects and inscriptions are seen in other medals by the group of artists associated with Niccolò Fiorentino.

Artist

Niccolò Fiorentino (Niccolò di Forzore Spinelli)

Date

model ca. 1490 (possibly cast 16th or 17th century)

Medium

Bronze

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975