Giovanni Bellini, Venetian painter (ca. 1430–1516)
ca. 1500–1510
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Diameter: 2 1/4 in. (60 mm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
Italian, Venice
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Anne D. Thomson, 1923
Accession Number
23.280.32
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite bronze medal, crafted by Venetian sculptor Vittore Gambello 1500–1510, immortalizes Giovanni Bellini (ca. 1430–1516), one of's greatest Renaissance painters. Measuring just 2¼ inches in diameter, it the Renaissance fascination with portrait medals—small, portable sculptures that served as personal tokens, diplomatic gifts, or scholarly collectibles. Gambello, active in Venice's vibrant artistic scene, captures Bellini's dignified profile with remarkable precision, likely on the obverse, while the reverse symbolic motifs including birds, evoking antiquity and Venetian symbolism. ...