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.
That is a fantastic looking medal. To be honest, I've never collected these, so I know nothing about them. However, I do know when I see something I like and this is one of them. I collect Greek and Roman coins, and this medal has that Roman look. Very nice.
I found this. http://www.sixbid.com/browse.html?auction=1374&category=28205&lot=1260291 Then I realised its the one you bought in June.
Thanks, I'm glad to hear to that this has appeal to a collector of ancient coins! The form of the medal as created by Pisanello during the Renaissance was influenced greatly by the large Roman sestertius coins, so I suppose its fitting that even several decades later medals still retained some of the feel of the old Roman coins.
Great piece, Josephus...a fantastic rarity. To my eye the classical lettering and reverse design feel Mantuan and influenced by the medals of Antico [see Hill 206; also 263 for some similarity in the lettering, border and curve of the bust truncation]. The piece may date to the period of his first assignment in Mantua between 1494-1518. Perhaps the 'M' refers to 'Mantuanus' and belongs at the end of the inscription instead of the beginning to read something like "Girolamo of Faenza, Herald and Lamp of Faith in Mantua'. Anyway, just a possiblity...
That sounds like it could indeed be a good possibility. I had wondered if the M could belong to the end of the inscription, but couldn't think of what it would be and just went with the cataloging by Toderi and Vannel, but your suggestion is quite interesting. Thanks for the input!
