Pope Clement X
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Diameter (confirmed): 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1907
Accession Number
07.204.1
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
This imposing bronze portrait medallion of Pope Clement X (1590-1676, Pope 1670-76) represents a remarkable collaboration between Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), the supreme sculptor of the Roman Baroque, and Girolamo Lucenti, engraver at the papal mint. Created around 1670, the work exemplifies Bernini's practice of delegating bronze casting to specialized craftsmen while maintaining artistic control through his initial design. Bernini created the wax model and sketch of the pope's profile, t...
Art Historical Context
This striking bronze medallion, titled *Pope Clement X* and created around 1670, showcases a rare collaboration between Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the master of Roman Baroque sculpture, and Giamo Lucenti, the skilled engraver at the papal. Measuring an impressive 12½ inches in diameter, it portrays the elderly pope (1590–1676, reigned 1670–76) in profile, his aged features rendered with Bernini's signature naturalistic intensity. The inscription "CLEMENS·X·P[ontifex]·O[ptimvs]·M[aximvs]" underscores its ceremonial role as a papal emblem. Bernini, known for dramatic works like St. Peter's baldachin, designed the wax model and profile sketch himself, then delegated the bronze casting to Lucenti, who worked at the mint from 1668 to 1679 and frequently assisted the sculptor. This division of labor highlights the specialized craft of 17th-century Italian medallions—large-scale plaquettes blending portraiture with diplomacy. Produced in a limited series, possibly including gilded or terracotta variants, these were gifted to select dignitaries, symbolizing papal authority during Clement X's brief but pivotal reign amid Counter-Reformation tensions. As a highlight of European sculpture, this piece from the Metropolitan Museum of Art exemplifies how Baroque artists fused realism with grandeur, turning a simple medal into a portable monument of power and piety.
About the Artist
Girolamo Lucenti|Gian Lorenzo Bernini ( |Italian) · 1627 |1598 –1698 |1680
ca. 1627–1698|Italian, Naples 1598–1680 Rome