Medal Depicting Semiramide d'Appiano (died 1523)
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
144075
Art Historical Context
This exquisite medal, crafted by the Italian sculptor and medalist Antonio Francesco Sel in 1739, honors Semiramide d'iano (ca. 1475–1523), a prominent Renaissance noblewoman from the Appiano family of Piomb, Italy. As wife of Jacopo IV App and regent for her son, she wielded significant political influence during a turbulent era of Italian city-state rivalries. Selvi's work, created over two centuries after her death, reflects the enduring fascination with Renaissance heroines, blending historical reverence with 18th-century portraiture traditions. Made of lead with wax—a rare combination th...
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...