Prudence, Courage and Fortune [reverse] 

This is an anonymous bronze medal depicting Prudence, Courage, and Fortune. As a material, bronze has a long history stretching back to antiquity, yet it comes into its own with the Renaissance, valued for its strength, durability, and its capacity to be finely cast. To make this medal, the artist would have first modeled the design in wax or clay. This model would have then been used to create a mold, into which molten bronze was poured. The process of bronze casting is labor-intensive, requiring skilled artisans who understand the properties of the material and the intricacies of the casting process. Though this medal has no known maker, its origins are likely in a workshop setting where such skills were nurtured and passed down through generations. The medal’s imagery reflects the values of its era, where personal qualities were perceived as essential for success, though acknowledging that luck always plays a part. When you handle an object like this, you are not only touching the result of skill and artistry, but also the social and cultural world that gave rise to it.