Girolamo Quirini, senator uit Venetië 1540

Curator: Let’s consider this Renaissance bronze sculpture by Andrea Spinelli, created in 1540. It's a medal featuring Girolamo Quirini, a senator from Venice. Editor: There’s a gravity to it. Even though it's small, a medal, I get a sense of weight and permanence. Like peering into a serious past. Does that resonate with its historical importance, or is it just the sepia tones getting to me? Curator: Beyond the "sepia tones," the material itself contributes to that impression. Bronze, with its association to ancient civilizations, elevates the subject. It was a deliberate choice. In producing these portrait medals in bronze, we are witnessing the production of elite networks. They were meant for circulation among specific social strata to display power. It's about controlling narratives and manufacturing reputation through materiality. Editor: I hadn’t thought about that! But that kind of brings in my focus as well; it is about the image, not about the value of the metal itself...The senator is in profile, very stoic. And then on the other side, a little scene, is that classical? Curator: The reverse side shows "Androcles and the Lion", reminding us of how powerful classical motifs and stories continued to be as allegories for powerful families. Andrea Spinelli is known to us today because of commissions by Venetian nobility, which helps us connect his biography and workshops to material and culture history. Editor: Absolutely. Looking at both sides, there’s a blend of personal glorification and civic virtues, the senator on one side, a tale of kindness and power on the other. Does this speak to how leadership was seen back then? As almost divinely inspired, virtuous but ultimately centered on the person of power? Curator: You’re touching on something crucial. Renaissance portraiture, particularly in a durable medium like bronze, cemented legacies. Editor: It does! Well, examining a piece that is both beautiful and a blatant PR exercise for a Venetian senator is a little humbling, maybe? Curator: Indeed, but it highlights the complex ways in which art, power, and material culture intertwine. Editor: Well said! It’s certainly made me reconsider those shiny medals on display!