75.2018.a
John VIII Paleologus (1392–1448), Emperor of Constantinople 1425–1448
Artist
Antonio Di Puccio Pisano (Pisanello)
(1395 - 1455)
Title
John VIII Paleologus (1392–1448), Emperor of Constantinople 1425–1448
Creation Date
ca. 1438 (late aftercast)
Century
mid-15th century
Dimensions
3 7/8 in. (9.84 cm)
Classification
Medals/Plaquettes
Creation Place
Europe, Italy
Medium and Support
bronze
Credit Line
Bowdoin College Museum of Art
Copyright
This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s
Copyright Terms and Conditions.
Accession Number
75.2018.a
Pisanello, a trained painter, combined his interest in classical coins with portraiture to produce a medium that is durable, portable, and easily reproducible: the portrait medal. As explained in a neighboring label, he cast the first modern portrait medal about 1438 to commemorate Byzantine Emperor John VIII Paleologus’s participation in the Council of Ferrara (later moved to Florence). Pisanello’s highly influential work ignited the fashion for portrait medals, and his masterful portrait of Paleologus influenced future painters, sculptors, and medalists alike. This specimen is a late aftercast with the lowest relief of the three examples (See 04.01 & 04.02). The overall softness of the impression is due to the repetitive mold-transfer process. In fact, the loss of detail spurred the copyist to re-engrave parts of the medal by hand, as seen in Paleologus’s hair.
Object Description
Duplicate of: 1966.106.24