Gianello della Torre, Italian Engineer and Architect in Spain (1501–1585)
1550–75
Medium
Bronze, brown patina, cast
Dimensions
Diam. 3 1/2 in. (89 mm.)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.110.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite bronze medal, cast by the Italian artist Jacopo Nizolla Trezzo around 1550–75, immortalizes Gianello della Torre (1501–1585), a brilliant engineer and architect who served the Spanish court. Measuring just 3½ inches in diameter, it the Renaissance tradition of plaquettes and medals—small-scale sculptures prized for their portability and intimacy. Da Trezzo, known for his refined portraiture, likely crafted this while active in Spain under Philip II, blending Italian precision with Habsburg patronage. The medal's profile view(s), rendered in bronze with a rich brown patina, high...