Portrait medal of Cristoforo Madruzzo (obverse); Landscape with a Female Figure Pointing to the Sun (reverse)

Pietro Paolo Galeotti ("Il Romano")

model ca. 1555 (contemporary cast) · Bronze (Copper alloy with reddish brown cuprite patina). · Robert Lehman Collection

The medal bears a portrait of Cristoforo Madruzzo (1512 – 1578), a cultured patron of the liberal arts who served as prince bishop of Trent and governor of Milan. He undertook important missions for Emperor Charles V and his brother, Ferdinand. Madruzzo also played a crucial role in the Council of Trent, insisting on reforming the Church and promoting a truly Christian life among the people he served. The medal's reverse has an allegorical representation of a classical woman on a pedestal pointing to the radiant sun and its reflection in the water. Madruzzo commissioned six medals of himself from Galeotti.

Artist

Pietro Paolo Galeotti ("Il Romano")

Date

model ca. 1555 (contemporary cast)

Medium

Bronze (Copper alloy with reddish brown cuprite patina).

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975