Medal Depicting Giovanni de' Medici (1543–1562)
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
144128
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Art Institute of Chicago, where this exquisite *Medal Depicting Giovanni de Medici (1543–2)* by Antonio Francesco Selvi invites us into the grandeur of Medici legacy. Crafted in 1739, nearly two centuries after the young prince's untimely death at age 19, this small lead medallion (8.3 cm in diameter captures Giovanni—son of Grand Duke Cosimo I of Tuscany—as a symbol of Renaissance valor. Giovanni was a promising military leader who fell in battle against French forces, embodying the Medici family's blend of artistry, power, and martial prowess. Selvi, a masterful 18th-century ...
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...