John VIII Palaeologus, Emperor of Constantinople (obverse); John VIII Riding in a Rocky Landscape (reverse)

Label

This large, heavy medal exists in numerous casts in multiple metals, including the bronze and lead examples here. Widely regarded as the first Renaissance portrait medal, it commemorates the events of the Council of Ferrara-Florence in 1438–39, which was called in an attempt to bring together the Western Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church as political allies. Artists or collectors might choose to use different metals for a variety of reasons. Bronze, which was favored by collectors, evoked classical Antiquity and produced crisp imagery and inscriptions. Lead, in contrast, was inexpensive but also resulted in softer contours and hazier details.

From the 2024 exhibition Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, curated by Elizabeth Rice Mattison, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programming and Curator of European Art, and Ashley B. Offill, Curator of Collections

Course History

History 42.01, Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies 22.01, Gender & European Society, Patrick Meehan, Spring 2024

History 96.39, Saints and Relics, Cecilia Gaposchkin, Spring 2024

Italian 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Noemi Perego, Spring 2024

Italian 11.01, Intensive Italian, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024

Italian 2.01, Introductory Italian II, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024

Italian 3.01, Introductory Italian III, Tania Convertini, Spring 2024

Italian 3.02, Introductory Italian III, Giorgio Alberti, Spring 2024

Exhibition History

Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, Citrin Family Gallery and Engles Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 23, 2024–March 22, 2025.

Provenance

Morton and Eden, "Coins, Banknotes and Historical Medals," London 29 November 2011, lot 337; sold to Wallace D. Bradway, New Haven, Connecticut, 2011; given to present collection, 2022.

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