Antico's convincingly ancient yet inventively modern portrait medals inspired artists who worked for the Gonzaga courts. Isabella d'Este (9), one of Antico's greatest patrons, is depicted in delicate classical profile by his colleague Gian Cristoforo Romano. Like ancient coins, Renaissance medals ensured their sitters' lasting fame.
The exquisite reverses of medals by Antico and his followers (10–12) express the sitters' aspirations in a classically inflected emblematic language. The concision typical of the medallic arts informed Antico and his contemporaries' approach to the large-scale reliefs in this gallery.
9. Gian Cristoforo Romano (1465–1512) Isabella d'Este (uniface)
1498
Bronze
Dr. Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection
10. Style of Antico Maddalena Mantuana (obverse) Maddalena in Pursuit of Occasion (reverse shown)
1504
Bronze
Dr. Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection
11. Style of Antico Luca de Zuhari (obverse) Venus and Mars (reverse shown)
Probably 1490–1520
Bronze
Dr. Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection
12. Diva Julia (obverse) Battle Scene (reverse shown)
c. 1490
Bronze
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Samuel H. Kress Collection
