Lorenzino de' Medici, 1514-1547, Son of Pierfrancesco II [obverse]
c. 1740
![Lorenzino de' Medici, 1514-1547, Son of Pierfrancesco II [obverse] by Antonio Francesco Selvi](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/lorenzino-de-medici-1514-1547-son-of-nga-126818.webp)
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
overall (diameter): 8.73 cm (3 7/16 in.) gross weight: 236.6 gr (0.522 lb.) axis: 12:00
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Lisa Unger Baskin
Accession Number
2002.146.15.a
Art Historical Context
This exquisite bronze medal, crafted by the Italian engraver Antonio Francesco Selvi around 1740, portrays Lorenzino de' Medici (4–1547), the notorious son of Pierfrances II de' Medici. Measuring 8.73 cm in diameter and a substantial 236.6 grams, it exemplifies the Renaissance-inspired medallic art of the 18th century. Selvi, a master of portrait medals, captures Lorenzino's profile on the obverse with remarkable fidelity, using the axis at 12:00 for precise orientation—a hallmark of numismatic precision. Lorenzino, infamously known as Lorenzaccio ("little bad Lorenzo"), was a complex figure ...
About the Artist
Antonio Francesco Selvi · 1679–1755
Antonio Francesco Selvi (1679–1753) was a prominent Florentine sculptor and medallist whose exquisite bronze portraits captured the elegance of late Baroque Italy. Little is known of his early life before he arrived in Florence in 1698, but he quickly established himself in the city's vibrant artistic scene by studying under Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, the renowned bronze-worker, sculptor, medalli...