Louis XI, 1423-1483, King of France 1461 [obverse] c. 1460 - 1466

This is a medal of Louis XI, King of France, made by Francesco Laurana in fifteenth-century Italy. The medal reflects the rise of humanism and its impact on the political structures of the time. As we can see here, the image of the King projects authority through the visual codes of classical portraiture. Consider the choice of bronze, the inscription using classical Roman lettering, and the profile portrait derived from ancient coins. All of these evoke the grandeur and legitimacy of Roman emperors. Italy in the 1400’s was made up of competing city-states, each of which was keen to project its power through visual art. Italian artists thus looked to the past for models, creating a fashion for portrait medals like this. Historians use surviving financial records and letters to investigate the social conditions that enabled the production of art. In this case, these sources show how rulers employed art to enhance their status. These reveal the politics of imagery and the public role of art in shaping perceptions of power.