Jupiter Thundering against the Giants [reverse]
1549
![Jupiter Thundering against the Giants [reverse] by Leone Leoni](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/jupiter-thundering-against-the-giants-reverse-nga-45089.webp)
Medium
bronze//Late cast
Dimensions
overall (diameter): 7.24 cm (2 7/8 in.) gross weight: 73.99 gr (0.163 lb.) axis: 7:00
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1957.14.1019.b
Art Historical Context
Behold the reverse of this exquisite bronze medal, *Jupiter Thundering against Giants*, crafted by the renowned Italian sculptor and medallist Leone Leoni in 1549. Leoni, a master of Renaissance tradition who served as court artist to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, specialized in finely detailed small-scale sculptures like this one. Depicting the mythological Gigantomachy—Jupiter hurling thunderbolts at rebellious giants—it captures the dramatic clash between divine order and chaotic rebellion from classical lore, a popular Renaissance motif symbolizing triumph and power. Struck in bronze with...
About the Artist
Leone Leoni · 1504–1590
Leone Leoni (1504–1590) was an Italian sculptor and medalist who rose to become one of the most celebrated court artists of sixteenth-century Europe, serving emperors, kings, and popes with equal distinction. Born in Menaggio on Lake Como, he trained as a goldsmith and medallist, skills that brought him to the attention of powerful patrons at a time when the portrait medal was one of the most pres...