Antonio di Puccio Pisano (called Pisanello). JOHN VIII PALEOLOGUS, Emperor of Byzantium(b. 1392; r. 1425-1448). ca. 1438. Lead, cast, 104.1 mm. obverse.

It is generally acknowledged that the modern medal was invented around 1438 by Antonio di Pucci Pisano, calledPisanello (ca. 1395-1455) with his medal of the Byzantine emperor, John VIII Paleologus. This sculptural innovation was one manifestation in Italy of a new attitude towardsthe history, art, philosophy, and cultures of ancient Greece andRome. One important result was a new understanding of theplace of man in the universe, celebrating his or her distinctindividuality, character, appearance, social position, beliefs,and accomplishments, or by commemorating significant historic events in a durable, reproducible, widely distributablemedium. Yet Pisanello's medals and those that followed byother artists did not, at first, physically follow the format fromwhich they were derived: ancient coinage.

Sesterius of AGRIPPINA THE ELDER (14 BCE-18 CE).Minted 37-41 CE, bronze, struck, 36 mm. obverse

The Greeks had issued large commemorative coins such as thedecadrachms of Athens and Syracuse, and their coinage ingeneral achieved levels of extraordinary beauty. Roman coinage also displayed impressive quality in the portraits of Republican notables and subsequently the emperors and their imperial family members, especially in large bronze sestertii. Inaddition, The Romans struck equally large, monetiform piecesthat were not active currency but were issued by emperors ascelebratory gifts and that have later been called medallions.

For Renaissance Italy, coinage, which was readily available inconsiderable numbers, along with many other forms of ancient art, was tangible evidence of the glories of ancient civilizations and a spiritual and ideological inspiration for contemporary artists and collectors.It is this heritage that has been chosen as the subject of the2022 Medal Collectors of America's annual medal. The obversedisplays a hand holding a contemporary medal showing a series of adjacent heads each speaking into the ear before it, thussymbolizing the effective role of the medal as a means of communication.On the reverse, referring to the inspiration of Roman coins forthe invention of the modern medal, is a representation of theobverse of one of the most beautiful Roman sestertii shownamidst the dirt and shards of a pot that once contained a buried hoard. The portrait is of Agrippina the Elder (c.14 BC-33AD). a granddaughter of Emperor Augustus, wife ofGermanicus, and mother of Nero and Caligula, during whosereign the coin was minted. On the reverse of the actual coin isa carpentum drawn by mules probably containing the ashes ofAgrippina.

SPECIFICATIONS AND PURCHASE DETAILS

Title:
Artist: Michael Meszaros
Date: November 2022
Material: Verbronze (chemically aged solid brass)
Size: 3 (76.2 mm)
Edition: 50
Price: $150 (Includes fabric pouch) plus packing and shipping,$15.

To order, see:
https://www.medalcollectors.org/membership/medals

For more information on the Medal Collectors of America, see:
https://www.medalcollectors.org/