Jean d'Anjou, Duke of Calabria and Lorraine (1427–1470) 1464

This lead medal of Jean d’Anjou, Duke of Calabria and Lorraine, was made by Francesco Laurana in fifteenth-century Italy, a time when humanist ideas about individual achievement were flowering. The fashion for portrait medals was revived from ancient coins as a way of immortalizing people. They circulated as gifts or mementos among the elites. Jean d’Anjou was an important military figure, and here Laurana presents him in profile, like a Roman emperor, his name inscribed in Latin around the edge. These medals served as propaganda, celebrating his status and power in a society that was highly conscious of rank. Laurana’s refined style also brought prestige to his patron. Art history relies on understanding the institutions that shape art. By researching the history of portraiture and the social function of medals, we can understand how this object functioned in its time. We see that art is more than just aesthetics; it’s deeply embedded in the social and political contexts of its creation.