Jean Parisot de la Vallette

Art Historical Context

This exquisite copper alloy medal, struck around 1566 by the Italian artist Mario d'Aluigi (known "Marius"), honors Jean Parisot de Val, the heroic Grand Master of the Order the Knights of Malta. Measuring just 5.9 cm in diameter and weighing 103.48 grams, its deep brown patina evokes the rich aging of Renaissance bronzes, making it a tactile gem in the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Valette's fame stems from his leadership during the Great Siege of Malta in1565, where he and his knights repelled a massive Ottoman invasion, securing Europe from Turkish expansion. Created shortly after this triumph, the medal captures his legacy in a portable format typical of 16th-century commemorative art. Renaissance medals like this served as "pocket portraits," blending portraiture with symbolic elements—here, depictions of men and elephants likely allude to strength, exotic victories, or classical motifs of power, underscoring Valette's monumental role. Marius, a skilled medallist active in Italy, employed fine chasing and patination techniques to achieve lifelike depth on the small scale. Part of the Met's numismatic treasures since 1975, this piece invites visitors to ponder how such intimate objects immortalized epic history, bridging personal heroism with broader cultural memory.