Allegory Celebrating Victory at Lepanto [reverse] 1571

This bronze medal, made by Giovanni Vincenzo Melone sometime between 1571 and 1589, commemorates the Victory at Lepanto. Lepanto, a naval battle in 1571, pitted the Holy League against the Ottoman Empire. Against the backdrop of burgeoning European colonialism, the League’s victory was seen as a triumph of Christianity over Islam. Here, Melone presents a personification of Victory standing on a column, a symbol of triumph, as an angel crowns them with a laurel wreath. Underneath, the defeated Turkish fleet lies in disarray. Although the medal celebrates a military victory, its narrative is more complex when considering the intertwined histories of trade, religion, and cultural exchange between Europe and the Ottoman Empire. This piece asks us to reflect on the narratives we construct around conflict, and to consider how these shape our understanding of identity.