In honor of Livio Odescalchi, Gonfaloniere (Standard-Bearer) of the Holy Roman Church 1689

This bronze medal was made in 1689 by Giovanni Martino Hamerani to honor Livio Odescalchi, Gonfaloniere, or Standard-Bearer, of the Holy Roman Church. Medals like this one functioned as political tools. They were produced and distributed to celebrate individuals and signal their allegiances. The medal presents a profile portrait of Odescalchi, emphasizing his status through meticulous details of his armor and attire, visual cues that would have been easily read by contemporaries. The inscription around the edge, naming Odescalchi and his position, reinforces the medal’s function as a public declaration of honor. To fully understand this medal, we can look to the records of the Vatican, as well as the biographies of prominent figures and the histories of noble families in the Papal States. The meaning of art is always contingent on these kinds of social and institutional contexts.