Antonis Mor, c. 1517/1521-1576/1577, Painter

Art Historical Context

This bronze portrait medal, created by the Dutch medallist Steven van Herwijck, depicts the Flemish painter Antonis Mor (c. 1517/1521–1576/77). Measuring just over 6 centimeters in diameter, the circular work exemplifies the Renaissance revival of ancient coinage traditions. Portrait medals like this one served as portable tributes to notable figures, allowing artists, scholars, and patrons to commemorate their achievements and circulate their likenesses across Europe. Van Herwijck, active in the mid-sixteenth century, specialized in such intimate sculptures, often capturing the dignified profiles of artists and humanists. Mor himself was a leading court painter for the Habsburgs, renowned for his elegant and psychologically penetrating portraits. The choice of durable bronze underscores the medal’s dual role as both artwork and historical document, preserving Mor’s image for posterity in a format that was both affordable and widely distributable. Housed in the National Gallery of Art’s Samuel H. Kress Collection, this piece highlights the vibrant artistic exchange between the Low Countries and broader European courts during the Renaissance. Its modest scale invites close viewing, revealing the fine modeling and restrained elegance typical of Northern European medallic art.