Medal Depicting Alessandro de' Medici (1510–1537)
Medium
Lead with wax
Dimensions
Diam.: 8.3 cm (3 1/4 in.)
Classification
medal
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
144104
Art Historical Context
This finely crafted medal, created by the Italian medalist Antonio Francesco Selvi 1739, honors Alessandro de' Medici (1510–1537), the ambitious first Duke of Florence. Measuring just 8.3 cm in diameter it is made of lead combined with wax—a distinctive medium that allowed for detailed casting and a tactile, almost sculptural quality. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Painting and Sculpture of, this piece exemplifies the enduring tradition of portrait medals as miniature masterpieces. Alessandro, an illegitimate son of the powerful Medici family (possibly fathered by Pope...
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...