Marcus Croto [obverse] c. mid 15th century

Varrone Belferdino made this bronze medal of Marcus Croto in 1457. It revives a classical form, the portrait medal, to celebrate an individual. In Renaissance Italy, wealthy patrons commissioned such works to commemorate achievements and project an image of cultivated authority. We see the profile portrait, a favored format since antiquity, together with lettering in Latin. These consciously recalled the Roman Empire, connecting the patron to the glory of the past. But we also know Renaissance portraiture served a more immediate social function. The likeness could circulate amongst family members or potential allies. Its display in the home broadcast status, taste, and political allegiance. To understand such objects, we might consult inventories of the period, correspondence between artists and patrons, and civic records. This research helps us to understand the place of art in the social and institutional life of its time.