Beginning in the 15th century, there was a growing and urgent need for a more profound engagement with the study and exploration of antiquities. Artists and scholars alike committed themselves to investigating the most appropriate methods of reconnecting with the grandeur of the ancient world, striving to position themselves as the new inheritors of this classical knowledge.
This revival of antiquarian culture also encompassed the reemergence of a genre—the medallion—which was conceptually rooted in ancient Roman coinage. One of the earliest known examples of a Renaissance medal was crafted by Pisanello in Ferrara, for the ecumenical council convened by Pope Eugenius IV. The artist created a portrait medal in honor of the Eastern Emperor John VIII Palaiologos, establishing the formal conventions of what would become a recognized genre: a metal disc that could be held in hand, with a bust portrait surrounded by an identifying inscription on the obverse and, on the reverse, an allegorical representation of the subject’s virtues.
Unlike the classical prototypes, these commemorative medals were cast using the lost-wax technique and were worn as jewelry, attached to garments, or presented as gifts.
The success of the medal created for the Eastern Emperor fueled demand for such tokens at major courts throughout the Italian peninsula, establishing Pisanello as the leading artist for celebratory medals of the time.
In parallel, Filarete produced a series of medals dedicated to Roman emperors, which share with Pisanello’s works the same casting technique, large scale, and celebratory purpose. However, Filarete took a significant step forward in his careful emulation of antiquity by shifting focus: rather than commemorating a contemporary figure, he chose to depict ancient myths that glorified the illustrious Roman past, embodying a range of moral virtues and ideals.