Urban VIII (Pope 1623–44)

Art Historical Context

This exquisite bronze medal, crafted by Roman artist Gasparo Mola in1638, captures a profile portrait of Pope Urban (Maffeo Barber), who reigned from 1623 to 1644. Measuring just 1 11/16 inches in diameter, it exemplifies the intimate scale of 17th-century plaquettes and medals, designed for private devotion, collection, or gifting among the elite. Urban VIII's pontificate marked a high point of the Baroque era in Rome, where he was a fervent patron of the arts, works from masters like Gian Lorenzo Bernini and commissioning grand architectural projects such as the Baldacchino in St. Peter's Basilica. Mola's medal reflects this cultural flourishing, using the classical profile format—revived from ancient Roman coins—to convey papal authority and piety. Cast in bronze, a durable medium favored for its rich patina and fine detail, it highlights the artist's skill in capturing the pope's dignified features amid the Counter-Reformation's emphasis on powerful religious imagery. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts department through the 1959 bequest of Rupert L. Joseph, this small treasure offers a window into Renaissance-inspired medal-making traditions that persisted into the Baroque, blending portraiture with propaganda in a portable format cherished by collectors.