Battista Fregoso, 1452-1504, Doge of Genoa 1478-1483 1478 - 1483

Curator: This bronze medal depicts Battista Fregoso, Doge of Genoa, dating from the late 15th century. It’s fascinating how the Italian Renaissance interest in classical antiquity found expression in even smaller-scale objects. Editor: It's impressive, the detail they got in such a small format using bronze! I find the process intriguing—how do you think the production and availability of materials like bronze influenced artistic choices at this time? Curator: That's precisely the right question. Think about the networks required to procure, refine, and then cast the bronze. This wasn't simply about aesthetic preference, but access and the complex economic and social structures that underpinned it. The mold-making process, for example, a crucial but often invisible stage, involved specialized labor and tacit knowledge. Editor: So, it was more than just a desire for realism or classical ideals? It reflects a whole industry. Were there different "schools" of bronze-casting at the time, like painting styles? Curator: Absolutely. Different workshops had distinct techniques. Analyzing the metal composition, the finishing methods, the style of lettering, it all provides insight into the workshop that produced it, and its particular niche within the broader art market. Who had the economic and political power to commission such objects is equally relevant to their meaning and value. This medal wasn’t just art; it was currency in a social game. Editor: That puts it in a whole new light! So much about its value derives not only from the aesthetic representation of power, but from material processes and economies of the time. Curator: Precisely! And these material realities help us dismantle hierarchies separating "fine" art from "mere" craft. Examining objects like this forces us to confront the labor and the material conditions that brought it into existence. Editor: Thanks, I’ll never look at a bronze the same way again! It's a testament to the value and implications behind production and material.