Antoine Perrenot, kardinaal van Granvelle, bisschop van Atrecht 1560

Editor: This is a bronze portrait medal created around 1560 by Jacques Jonghelinck, depicting Antoine Perrenot, a Cardinal. It feels weighty and official. The detail is pretty intricate, especially on the reverse side. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, beyond the surface representation, consider the act of its making. Bronze, in the 16th century, was no simple material to acquire and manipulate. It speaks to the Cardinal's wealth and power to commission such a piece, and the artist's status too. What does the material suggest about early capitalist networks and artistic patronage? Editor: I see your point. It's not just a pretty portrait. It's a statement made through the materials themselves. What about the imagery? Is the depiction of a Cardinal unusual for a medal? Curator: The choice of a medal, often associated with rulers or military leaders, is itself interesting. The mold making process had direct impacts on production time, labor and, therefore, the overall expense. Considering that this was during the Counter-Reformation, we might ask ourselves how this work might participate in the Cardinal’s public self-fashioning. What story does the medal want to tell about him? Editor: So, thinking about the medal as a made object…it tells us about class and production. It almost shifts the focus away from simply admiring the 'artistic' skill involved and highlights the broader picture of production and consumption. Curator: Precisely. The medal is a testament to both the patron's aspirations and the socio-economic forces that made its creation possible. Editor: I never really thought about a portrait in terms of materiality and labor before, it really adds layers to it. Curator: It's about understanding art as enmeshed within a wider system of power relations, production processes, and consumption habits, that goes far beyond this man's likeness!