Putto Holding Arms of Vitry [reverse]

Art Historical Context

This delicate bronze medal, created in 1518 by the anonymous artist known as the Medalist of 1518, exemplifies the Renaissance revival of portrait medals as portable works of art. Measuring just under two inches across, the piece served as the reverse of a commemorative medal, a format that paired a sitter’s likeness on the front with symbolic imagery on the back. Such medals were prized by European elites for their ability to convey status, alliances, and personal virtues in a compact, durable form. The reverse design features a lively putto— a winged child figure drawn from classical antiquity—holding the coat of arms of Vitry. This charming motif blends playful Renaissance humanism with heraldic tradition, suggesting the medal honored a member of the Vitry family while evoking innocence and divine favor. Bronze casting allowed for fine detail and a warm patina that has aged gracefully over five centuries. Housed in the National Gallery of Art’s Samuel H. Kress Collection, the medal offers modern viewers a tangible link to early sixteenth-century French or Franco-Flemish court culture, where small-scale sculpture communicated identity and taste with remarkable elegance.