Portrait of a Woman [obverse] c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have Giovanni Maria Pomedelli's bronze relief, "Portrait of a Woman", from around the 16th century. It has the appearance of a coin or medallion, almost like a historical artifact. The woman looks serious and rather regal. What’s your take on it? Curator: Oh, it sings to me of Renaissance ideals! It whispers tales of wealthy Italian families, patronage, and this burgeoning interest in individual identity. It makes me wonder about the woman... Was she a noble, a merchant's daughter? Did she have a say in her portrayal? I love the inscription looping around; it frames her physically and conceptually. It feels as though her legacy is literally etched in bronze! Doesn't it feel wonderfully… weighty? Editor: Weighty, definitely! The inscription gives it this sense of importance, as if we’re meant to remember her. Who do you think it was made for? Curator: I think perhaps for herself, or for her family as a means of self-commemoration, don't you think? Can you imagine what she must have felt, seeing herself immortalized in this way? What do you see reflected in her eyes, etched so deeply by Pomedelli's hand? Editor: I see a woman sure of herself. It's neat that such a small object contains such big ideas about identity. I didn’t think about it like that. Curator: And I never considered its physical heft before! What an evocative token, isn't it? We've both learned something today, I do believe.