The Portrait Medal of Cosimo de’ Medici

• Time Period: Pre World War I
• Institution: c. 1469
• Country: Italy (Grand Duchy of Tuscany)

The Portrait Medal of Cosimo de’ Medici celebrates Cosimo I de’Medici (1389-1464) and is the earliest example of a product created by the Florentine school.

Cosimo I was the head of the de’Medici family, a family of bankers who were the de facto rulers of Florence during most of the Italian Renaissance. He was granted the title Pater Patriae by the Florentine Signoria after his death on 1 August 1464.

The idea of a ʽportraitʼ on coins, as well as the title pater patriae, was inspired by the rediscovery of Roman coins in the Renaissance (medieval coinage did not have portraits). Ancient coins were the subject of interest and intense study among scholars from the early fifteenth century onwards, and admired by humanists for their large size, their high relief, and the use of bronze.

The Portrait Medal of Cosimo de’ Medici Design

The medal was not produced after 1469, and the effigy on the obverse was copied from the manuscript by Francesco del Chierico (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Ms Plut. 84, I, c. 3), and on behalf of Piero di Lorenzo de’Medici. Although many different artists have been proposed for the medal’s creator, for example Niccolò di Forzore Spinelli, Donatello, Michelozzo, Cristoforo di Geremia, and Bertoldo di Giovanni, the question concerning the author’s identity remains a mystery.

The obverse of the medal bears the bust of Cosimo I in profile, facing left. He’s wearing a flat beret (proper for persons of high rank) and a buttoned cloak. A circular legend in Roman capitals reads: “MAGNVS COSMVS MEDICES P(RIMVS) P(ATER) P(ATRIAE).”

The reverse shows a female figure allegoric of Florence (inspired by Graeco-Roman coins depicting Concordia), seated on a throne. The exergue reads “FLORENTIA“. She’s wearing a peplos and is veiled, likely as a sign of mourning for Cosimo. She holds an olive branch in her left hand, and her right is stretching forward and grasping a globe – which might recall the Medici family emblem. The circular legend of the reverse reads “PAX LIBERTASQVE PVBLICA“.