Conrad Peutinger, 1465-1547, Humanist and Antiquarian

Art Historical Context

This lead medal by Hans Schwarz portrays Conrad Peutinger (1465–1547), a prominent German humanist, lawyer, and antiquarian renowned for his scholarly collections of Roman inscriptions and classical texts. Created sometime in the fifteenth century, the circular relief captures Peutinger’s likeness in profile, a format that allowed artists to convey both personal identity and intellectual stature. Such portraits served as portable tributes, celebrating the sitter’s contributions to the revival of ancient learning during the early Renaissance. Hans Schwarz, active in southern Germany, specialized in small-scale sculpture and was among the first artists to popularize the portrait medal north of the Alps. Working in lead, he exploited the metal’s softness to achieve crisp details and subtle modeling while keeping the piece lightweight and affordable. The medal’s modest scale—just under nine centimeters in diameter—made it suitable for private study or exchange among scholars and collectors. Today in the National Gallery of Art’s Samuel H. Kress Collection, the work offers visitors a tangible link to the intellectual networks of the Renaissance. It reminds us how art and scholarship intertwined to preserve and reinterpret the classical past.