Springing Unicorn and Tau Cross [reverse]

Art Historical Context

This delicate bronze medal reverse, created by the Florentine artist Niccolò Fiorentino around 1480–1486, measures just under four centimeters across. As a skilled medallist of the Italian Renaissance, Fiorentino specialized in small-scale works that combined portraiture with symbolic imagery. The reverse features a springing unicorn paired with a Tau cross, motifs that would have resonated with viewers familiar with medieval and early Renaissance symbolism of purity, redemption, and spiritual protection. Cast in bronze, the piece exemplifies the Renaissance revival of the ancient medal tradi...