Angelo Poliziano, 1454-1494, Humanist [obverse]
c. 1494/1495
![Angelo Poliziano, 1454-1494, Humanist [obverse] by Style of Niccolò Fiorentino](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/angelo-poliziano-1454-1494-humanist-obverse-nga-44832.webp)
Medium
bronze//Late cast
Dimensions
overall (diameter): 5.62 cm (2 3/16 in.) gross weight: 89.06 gr (0.196 lb.) axis: 12:00
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1957.14.873.a
Art Historical Context
This bronze medal, created in the style of Niccolò Fiorentino around 1494–1495, portrays the renowned Florentine humanist Angelo Poliziano on its obverse. Poliziano, who lived from 1454 to 1494, was a celebrated poet, scholar, and tutor to the Medici family, embodying the intellectual spirit of the Italian Renaissance. The late cast captures his profile in the classical manner typical of Renaissance portrait medals, which served as portable tributes to influential figures. Niccolò Fiorentino’s workshop specialized in such commemorative works, blending ancient Roman coin traditions with contem...
About the Artist
Style of Niccolò Fiorentino
"Style of Niccolò Fiorentino" refers to the distinctive manner of bronze portrait medals produced by the workshop, circle, or close followers of the Florentine medallist Niccolò di Forzore Spinelli (1430–1514), known as Niccolò Fiorentino. Born into a prominent family of Florentine goldsmiths, Spinelli—great-nephew of the painter Spinello Aretino—emerged as one of the leading figures in the burgeo...