Cardinal Mazarin (1602–61)
1660
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Diameter: 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Rupert L. Joseph, 1959
Accession Number
60.55.41
Tags
Art Historical Context
This silver medal, created by the renowned French medallist Jean Varin in 1660, offers a striking profile portrait of Cardinal Jules Mazarin, the influential Italian-born statesman who served as chief minister to Louis XIV. Measuring just over two inches in diameter, the work captures Mazarin near the end of his life, during a period when he wielded immense power in shaping French foreign policy and consolidating royal authority after the Fronde civil wars. Varin, who directed the Paris Mint and elevated medal-making to a sophisticated art form, employed precise striking techniques to render ...