Lodovico Ariosto, 1474-1533, Poet 1552 - 1590

Domenico Poggini created this bronze medal of Lodovico Ariosto sometime in the 16th century. Ariosto, who lived from 1474 to 1533, was a prominent poet whose work embodies the spirit of the Italian Renaissance. The portrait captures Ariosto in profile, his gaze steady, framed by flowing hair and a neatly trimmed beard. Poggini's choice to immortalize Ariosto in bronze reflects the Renaissance humanist tradition of honoring intellectual and artistic achievement. Medals such as these were often commissioned by wealthy patrons or by the individuals themselves, serving as tokens of status, memory, and identity. As an object, the medal testifies to the cultural values of the Renaissance, where poets like Ariosto held esteemed positions in society, their likenesses preserved for posterity. It presents a tension between public persona and private identity, the work opens a window into the world of Renaissance humanism, inviting us to reflect on how societies choose to remember their cultural icons.