Portrait medal of Jacopo Antonio Sorra (obverse); A Nude Male Figure Shooting Arrows (reverse) 1561

This is a bronze portrait medal of Jacopo Antonio Sorra, created by Antonio Abondio in the late 16th century. Medals like these were small but significant objects in Renaissance Europe, serving as both personal emblems and political tools. The obverse depicts Sorra in profile, his clothing suggesting status and wealth. The reverse shows a nude male figure—likely symbolizing virtue or skill—shooting arrows. This image is loaded with classical references, idealizing the male form and promoting the idea of masculine prowess. Yet, beyond these traditional representations, what might these medals have meant to those who received and viewed them? Perhaps they were a way to assert one's place in a hierarchical society, a society entrenched in gendered and class-based power dynamics. These objects help us consider how identities were constructed and performed through art in the Renaissance.