Quentin Metsys, Erasmus Medal (1519)

The inability of the image to capture the fullness of a person’s soul was a preoccupation of Erasmus and the artists who depicted him, even as his image was circulated and became ubiquitous within humanist circles. This bronze medal, also made by Metsys, was produced in 1519. On the obverse, Erasmus’s portrait is encircled by two inscriptions: in Latin, ‘His image taken from life’; in Greek, ‘The works will offer a better [picture]’. Although they were inspired by the iconography of Roman imperial coins, portrait medals were entirely an artistic innovation of the Renaissance.  Their association with classical antiquity perhaps explains why they were so readily adopted for humanist portraits, despite their princely connotations. Sometimes stored in lined boxes, they could also be hung from loops to be contemplated easily on both sides or to decorate a study.

Credit: Oren Margolis (July 2018)