Lodovico Gonzaga, 1412-1478, 2nd Marquess of Mantua 1444 [obverse] c. 1447 - 1448

This bronze medal depicting Lodovico Gonzaga was created by Pisanello around 1444. Its circular form and the low relief give it an intimate, tactile quality. The carefully inscribed text frames Gonzaga’s profile, creating a structured visual field that balances image and text. Pisanello uses line and form to convey power and status. Gonzaga's sharp profile, with its strong nose and determined gaze, is rendered with precision, highlighting his noble character. The inscription, acting as a border, reinforces the subject’s identity and titles, embedding him within a network of power and recognition. The medal, in its structure, reflects the Renaissance humanist interest in classical forms and the celebration of individual achievement. Consider the medal's function as a symbolic object. It is not merely a portrait but a carefully constructed representation intended to circulate ideas about Gonzaga’s authority. The interplay of form and content transforms a simple metal object into a potent signifier of power, ambition and legacy.