Girolamo Cornaro, c. 1486-1551, Venetian Patrician [obverse]
![Girolamo Cornaro, c. 1486-1551, Venetian Patrician [obverse] by Giovanni da Cavino](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/girolamo-cornaro-c-1486-1551-venetian-patrician-nga-45020.webp)
Medium
bronze//Struck
Dimensions
overall (diameter): 3.73 cm (1 7/16 in.) gross weight: 28.19 gr (0.062 lb.) axis: 4:00
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1957.14.984.a
Art Historical Context
This exquisite bronze medal, struck by the renowned Paduan artist Giovanni da Cavino in1540, captures the profile of Girolamo Corn (c. 1486–1551), a prominent patrician. Measuring just 3.73 cm in diameter and 28.19 grams it exemplifies the Renaissance fascination with classical antiquity, where small-scale portrait medals served as personal emblems, diplomatic gifts, and commemorative tokens much like ancient Roman coins. Cavino, a master medallist, employed the struck technique—hammering a hardened steel die into soft bronze—to achieve remarkable detail and high relief on the obverse, showca...
About the Artist
Giovanni da Cavino · 1500–1570
**Giovanni da Cavino: The Paduan Master of Medals and Antiquity** Giovanni da Cavino, born in May 1500 in Padua to goldsmith Bartolommeo di Giovanni from Cavino d'Arsego, inherited his family's craft from an early age. His father served as his initial master until Bartolommeo's death in 1517, after which Cavino trained in the workshop of the renowned Paduan sculptor Andrea Riccio (1470–1532), who...