Ter ere van de dichter Lodovico Ariosto 1548 - 1578

Editor: Here we have a bronze relief medal, “In Honor of the Poet Lodovico Ariosto,” created sometime between 1548 and 1578 by Pastorino de’ Pastorini. There's something quite dignified, almost somber, about this portrait. What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: It's remarkable how these tiny worlds, these medals, managed to encapsulate entire lives, isn’t it? When I gaze at it, I see a dance between commemoration and mortality. This isn't just a portrait of Ariosto; it's a little stage where his legacy is being sculpted even as time marches on. The tower on the reverse is also interesting. Do you see how it appears to both stand tall and somehow be entwined with nature? Editor: I do, yes. The tower almost seems like a tree trunk itself. Curator: Precisely! The laurel branches bursting forth. To me, that fusion suggests the enduring strength of art and literature. What appears rooted and firm—stone, bronze, words—can bloom into something timeless. This wasn’t just about showing Ariosto’s face; it was about turning him into an idea, a force of nature that lives on. Don't you think the best portraits always do that – they go beyond just skin and bone? Editor: That's a really interesting point. I hadn't considered how deliberate the combination of portrait and symbol could be in creating a lasting image, almost mythologizing the individual. Curator: Exactly! It's about the stories we tell, the symbols we weave into the fabric of memory. And in this little bronze disc, a poet lives forever, his tower reaching for the sky. Editor: This has really changed how I look at portraiture. I'm seeing beyond just the depiction of a person, and more towards the creation of a symbolic, enduring presence. Thank you!