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Possibly Unique Renaissance Medal - Girolamo da Faenza
Iosephus
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I acquired this medal a few months ago, and have been trying to find out more information about it. I think I have reached the limit (for now) on what I can discover, and am thus posting my current thoughts, but I would welcome any input that any of the members here might have.
Bronze, 43.4mm Ø, 36.9 g
Obverse: Bust of Girolamo da Faenza facing right, wearing habit and cappuccio. Around, M · HIERO · FAVENT · PRECO · ET · LVCERNA · FIDEI · .
Reverse: Personification of Religion standing facing and holding a torch in her right hand. To the left, Mary Magdalene holding a chalice and to the right St. John standing with hands together in prayer. Around, HEC · VIA · AMBVLATE · IN · EA .
This medal is presumably unique and is lacking from all major references except one. The only reference that I am able to find is in the comprehensive catalogue of 16th century Italian medals compiled by Giuseppe Toderi and Fiorenza Vannel, "Le Medaglie Italiane del XVI Secolo", for which this specimen is the plate medal (cat. no. 612). They assign the medal to the years of c. 1513-1516. Unfortunately, no doubt due to its rarity, information regarding it is greatly lacking when compared to other Renaissance medals which have been catalogued. The medal is lacking from Hill's inimitable corpus of Italian Renaissance medals, covering the period of medallic art in Italy up to roughly 1530. Originally published in 1930, Hill's "A Corpus of Italian Medals of the Renaissance before Cellini" remains the standard for medals of that period, and was reprinted with some updates and commentary by John Graham Pollard in 1984.
Toderi and Vannel (T&V) identify the subject of the medal only as Girolamo da Faenza, no doubt based on the obverse inscription. However, they provide no background about this person, lamenting that no further information as to his identity is available which could aid in the attribution of the medal to a particular artist. However, I believe that the subject is Girolamo di Gianfrancesco Armellini da Faenza, an inquisitor and member of the Dominican order. He was ordained a priest roughly in mid-1494 and at some point after his studies was appointed vicar to the inquisitor of Mantua, Domenico Pirri da Gargnano. He served in this role until roughly 1518, except for a break for the academic year of 1512-1513, when he was appointed as master of studies in Bologna. He was then inquisitor of Parma from 1518-1526 and inquisitor of Mantua from 1531-1540. He is last recorded as theological lector in the convent of Sant'Andrea in Faenza in 1549-1550.
The identification of the subject as the inquisitor Girolamo di Gianfrancesco Armellini da Faenza (or inquisitorial vicar, as he would have been at the time of T&V's dating of the medal) fits with the portrait depiction on the obverse, showing a man in friar's clothing. T&V do not provide full expansions of the inscriptions, nor translations, and I have been unable to determine what the leading "M" would stand for in the obverse inscription. I believe that the remainder of the obverse inscription would expand to HIERONYMUS FAVENTIA PRAECO ET LUCERNA FIDEI, which would then translate to "Girolamo of Faenza, Herald and Lamp of Faith". This too would seem to fit for one who is in the inquisitorial business.
The reverse inscription similarly fits the proposed subject. It can be expanded to HAEC EST VIA AMBULATE IN EA, which would then translate as "This Is the Way, Walk Ye In It". This comes from from Isaiah 30:21; "Et aures tuae audient verbum post tergum monentis: Haec est via; ambulate in ea, et non declinetis neque ad dexteram, neque ad sinistram." (And thy ears shall hear the word of one admonishing thee behind thy back: This is the way, walk ye in it: and go not aside neither to the right hand, nor to the left.)
Returning to the issue of attribution, T&V attribute this medal, with reservations, to Vittore di Antonio Gambello, called Camelio. This attribution is based upon comparison with the medals typically attributed to Camelio during his time in Rome. Born in Venice, Camelio is recorded in 1484 as being master of the dies for the Venetian mint. He left for Rome in 1510 after a reduction in his salary due to the financial crisis in Venice resulting from war. While in Rome, he was appointed for life as engraver to the papal mint on June 24, 1515. However, he returned to his post in Venice in 1516 and worked there until 1530. Toderi and Vannel lament that no further information about the person portrayed can be used to help assert the attribution of Camelio as the artist. However, if we accept the identification of the subject proposed above, an interesting tidbit becomes known. During his time as inquisitorial vicar of Mantua, Armellini journeyed to Rome in 1511 to represent Pirri at a commission. This places him in Rome during the time in which Camelio was there, and could help to possibly date the medal to slightly earlier than the period posited by T&V.
I would be interested to hear the thoughts or opinions of anyone else that might be able to provide further information.
Bronze, 43.4mm Ø, 36.9 g
Obverse: Bust of Girolamo da Faenza facing right, wearing habit and cappuccio. Around, M · HIERO · FAVENT · PRECO · ET · LVCERNA · FIDEI · .
Reverse: Personification of Religion standing facing and holding a torch in her right hand. To the left, Mary Magdalene holding a chalice and to the right St. John standing with hands together in prayer. Around, HEC · VIA · AMBVLATE · IN · EA .
This medal is presumably unique and is lacking from all major references except one. The only reference that I am able to find is in the comprehensive catalogue of 16th century Italian medals compiled by Giuseppe Toderi and Fiorenza Vannel, "Le Medaglie Italiane del XVI Secolo", for which this specimen is the plate medal (cat. no. 612). They assign the medal to the years of c. 1513-1516. Unfortunately, no doubt due to its rarity, information regarding it is greatly lacking when compared to other Renaissance medals which have been catalogued. The medal is lacking from Hill's inimitable corpus of Italian Renaissance medals, covering the period of medallic art in Italy up to roughly 1530. Originally published in 1930, Hill's "A Corpus of Italian Medals of the Renaissance before Cellini" remains the standard for medals of that period, and was reprinted with some updates and commentary by John Graham Pollard in 1984.
Toderi and Vannel (T&V) identify the subject of the medal only as Girolamo da Faenza, no doubt based on the obverse inscription. However, they provide no background about this person, lamenting that no further information as to his identity is available which could aid in the attribution of the medal to a particular artist. However, I believe that the subject is Girolamo di Gianfrancesco Armellini da Faenza, an inquisitor and member of the Dominican order. He was ordained a priest roughly in mid-1494 and at some point after his studies was appointed vicar to the inquisitor of Mantua, Domenico Pirri da Gargnano. He served in this role until roughly 1518, except for a break for the academic year of 1512-1513, when he was appointed as master of studies in Bologna. He was then inquisitor of Parma from 1518-1526 and inquisitor of Mantua from 1531-1540. He is last recorded as theological lector in the convent of Sant'Andrea in Faenza in 1549-1550.
The identification of the subject as the inquisitor Girolamo di Gianfrancesco Armellini da Faenza (or inquisitorial vicar, as he would have been at the time of T&V's dating of the medal) fits with the portrait depiction on the obverse, showing a man in friar's clothing. T&V do not provide full expansions of the inscriptions, nor translations, and I have been unable to determine what the leading "M" would stand for in the obverse inscription. I believe that the remainder of the obverse inscription would expand to HIERONYMUS FAVENTIA PRAECO ET LUCERNA FIDEI, which would then translate to "Girolamo of Faenza, Herald and Lamp of Faith". This too would seem to fit for one who is in the inquisitorial business.
The reverse inscription similarly fits the proposed subject. It can be expanded to HAEC EST VIA AMBULATE IN EA, which would then translate as "This Is the Way, Walk Ye In It". This comes from from Isaiah 30:21; "Et aures tuae audient verbum post tergum monentis: Haec est via; ambulate in ea, et non declinetis neque ad dexteram, neque ad sinistram." (And thy ears shall hear the word of one admonishing thee behind thy back: This is the way, walk ye in it: and go not aside neither to the right hand, nor to the left.)
Returning to the issue of attribution, T&V attribute this medal, with reservations, to Vittore di Antonio Gambello, called Camelio. This attribution is based upon comparison with the medals typically attributed to Camelio during his time in Rome. Born in Venice, Camelio is recorded in 1484 as being master of the dies for the Venetian mint. He left for Rome in 1510 after a reduction in his salary due to the financial crisis in Venice resulting from war. While in Rome, he was appointed for life as engraver to the papal mint on June 24, 1515. However, he returned to his post in Venice in 1516 and worked there until 1530. Toderi and Vannel lament that no further information about the person portrayed can be used to help assert the attribution of Camelio as the artist. However, if we accept the identification of the subject proposed above, an interesting tidbit becomes known. During his time as inquisitorial vicar of Mantua, Armellini journeyed to Rome in 1511 to represent Pirri at a commission. This places him in Rome during the time in which Camelio was there, and could help to possibly date the medal to slightly earlier than the period posited by T&V.
I would be interested to hear the thoughts or opinions of anyone else that might be able to provide further information.
1
Comments
I like the color, design, and overall look of this medal.
Were medals like this cast? It sort of has that look.
The only thing I could Google you probably found already:
http://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=379&category=6942&lot=340362
http://numismatica-italiana.lamoneta.it/moneta/W-ME29C9/19
https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=759&lot=566
"You Suck Award" - February, 2015
Discoverer of 1919 Mercury Dime DDO - FS-101
<< <i>Were medals like this cast? It sort of has that look. >>
Sorry, I should have mentioned that. Yes, you're right, this piece is cast. Casting was the dominant production method in the 15th and early 16th centuries for Italian medals. Technology for struck medals with high relief was not yet available.
Virtus Collection - Renaissance and Baroque Medals
<< <i>The only thing I could Google you probably found already: >>
Yep, I've seen those already, but thanks for looking!
Virtus Collection - Renaissance and Baroque Medals
<< <i>Congrats on a great piece with a fine portrait Joe and thanks for sharing your research. Interesting subject well worth your effort but well outside my area so, alas, I can't provide any insight. >>
Thanks, STLNATS. I too thought the portrait was quite nice, especially in contrast with the rather drab and uninspired reverse (and the wear on the reverse certainly does not help)!
<< <i>Joe - you sure know your stuff. Thanks for sharing. Hope to see you in NYC this January. >>
Thanks, Zohar. I hope to make it to the show, and it would be great to see you again!
Virtus Collection - Renaissance and Baroque Medals
The relatively high relief makes the allegorical human figures stand out, and it looks almost as though the lass at our left is about to step right off the medal into three-dimensional space.
I think the wear on the higher points also serves to give a little color contrast which heightens the near-3D effect.
<< <i>I don't find the reverse particularly drab or uninspired. I think it has lots of character, actually.
The relatively high relief makes the allegorical human figures stand out, and it looks almost as though the lass at our left is about to step right off the medal into three-dimensional space.
I think the wear on the higher points also serves to give a little color contrast which heightens the near-3D effect. >>
Good points, and I didn't mean to make it sound like I thought the reverse was necessarily bad, but that I (subjectively) found the obverse superior in its artistic merit. I'm afraid I might be reading too much of Hill's works, where he constantly criticizes the designs of a great many medals.
Virtus Collection - Renaissance and Baroque Medals
I'd really like to work the obvious Monty Python joke in here but unfortunately he was based in central Italy (where I do suppose no one would have expected the Spanish Inquisition!).
My researching efforts seldom take me that far back in time, but the reverse is reminiscent of several issues of much earlier Roman coins (I'll post particulars if I can find them). I believe some medalists and coin engravers borrowed from Roman coin designs. Maybe following that trail might aid you in confirming the artist?
Pat
<< <i>I believe some medalists and coin engravers borrowed from Roman coin designs. >>
Very true. Here's an example from my collection where the reverse design was borrowed pretty directly from ancient Roman coins:
Bronze, 33.6 mm Ø 20.8 g
This medal was distributed to crowds in Rome in 1513 to celebrate Giuliano II de' Medici being admitted as a citizen and patrician of Rome (thanks to his brother Giovanni's elevation to the papacy as Pope Leo X).
Virtus Collection - Renaissance and Baroque Medals
Cheers,
Pat