Isotta degli Atti, 1432/1433-1474, Mistress 1446, then Wife after 1453, of Sigismondo Malatesta [obverse]

Art Historical Context

Behold the exquisite bronze portrait medal of *Isotta degli Atti (1432/1433–1474), crafted around 1454 by Matteo de'i, a masterful Italian sculptor and medalist active in the Renaissance courts of northern Italy. This obverse captures Isotta, who began as the mistress of the powerful condottiero Sigismondo Malesta in 1446 becoming his wife after 1453. Measuring just 4.15 cm in diameter and weighing 44.3 grams, the medal's intimate scale invites close admiration, evoking the classical Roman coins that inspired Renaissance artists. Matteo de' Pasti, known for his work at Sigismondo's Tempio Mal...

About the Artist

Matteo de' Pasti · 1420–1467

Matteo de' Pasti (c. 1420–c. 1467) was an Italian medalist, illuminator, and architect active in the mid-fifteenth century, best known as the principal artist of the brilliant humanist court of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta in Rimini. The precise details of his early training are not fully documented, but he was active as a miniature painter and illuminator before establishing himself as one of th...