Medal: Bust of Carlo Borromeo
Unknown Artist
ca. 1600 (possibly cast in the 19th century)
Medium
Bronze (copper alloy with dull yellowish natural patina and remains of an abraded black patina)
Dimensions
Diam. 4.9 cm, wt. 46.2 g
Classification
Medals
Culture
Italian, Milan (?)
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.1255
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite bronze medal features a profile bust of Saint Borromeo, the 16th-century Archbishop of Milan and a pivotal figure in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Born in 1538 and canonized shortly after his death in 1584, Borromeo was renowned for his zealous reforms, charitable works, and spiritual leadership during a turbulent era of religious upheaval. Produced around 1600—possibly in Milan—the medal captures his solemn visage, likely accompanied by lambs symbolizing his pastoral devotion to his flock, a common motif in saintly iconography. Though the artist remains unknown, such small-...