Medal: Self-portrait
model ca. 1566 or 1571 (cast 18th or 19th century)
Medium
Bronze (Copper alloy with chocolate brown patina).
Dimensions
Diam. 7.8 cm, wt. 119.31 g.
Classification
Medals
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.1313
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Medal: Self-port* by Alfonso Ruspagiari a captivating Renaissance gem modeled around 1566 or 1571 and cast in bronze during the 18th or 19th century. This copper-alloy piece, measuring 7.8 cm in and weighing a substantial 119.31 grams, boasts a rich chocolate-brown patina that speaks to its enduring allure. Housed in the Robert Lehman at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, exemplifies the artistry of medal-making, a favored medium for personal expression in 16th-century Europe. Ruspagiari, an Italian medallist, crafted this self-portrait to showcase his mastery of the form—miniature s...