Medal: Bust of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta 1447

This bronze medal, created by the Italian artist Matteo de' Pasti in 1447, depicts a profile portrait of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, a powerful Italian condottiero and Lord of Rimini. The medal, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a fine example of the Renaissance revival of the ancient Roman tradition of portrait medallions, which were often used to commemorate important figures. The inscription encircling Malatesta's head reads "SIGISMONDO P[AND]VL[F]VS DE MALATESTIS P[RINC]IPE".