Medal Depicting Pope Clement VII (1478–1534)
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
144086
Art Historical Context
Behold this exquisite *Medal Depicting Pope Clement VII (1478–1534)*, crafted by the skilled Italian medallist Antonio Francesco Selvi in 1739. Measuring just 8.3 cm in diameter, this intimate portrait captures the likeness of the influential Renaissance pope from the powerful Medici family, who reigned during turbulent times including the Sack of Rome in 1527. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Painting and Sculpture of Europe, it exemplifies the enduring tradition of medallic art as a portable form of sculpture and commemoration. Selvi, a prominent Sienese artist of the ...
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...