DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68735#0266
918-20 PART
The attribution to Bertoldo, on the ground of stylistic
resemblance, was made by Armand.
REVERSE of a MEDAL.
918. [Obv. Portrait of Francesco Diedo, see
no. 506.]
Rev. DVCE VIRTVTE and, below, MCCCC
LXXV Hercules, with lion’s skin on head and
hanging down his back, holding club in r.,
runs 1., pursuing Centaur Nessus, who carries
off Deianira on his back and wields a branch
in his r. On a high rock in the background
a young male figure (Virtus?), nude to waist,
seated on a seat supported by a lion and an ox.
Arm. II, 71, 6 (83 mm.). [6. Pl. 149.]
(a) Turin, 83 mm. Arm., loc. cit. Heiss, Ven., p. 181,
no. 1, Pl. xiii, 3. Hill, Burl. Mag., xxx (1917), p. 190,
fig. B. Bode, Bertoldo, pp. 31 fif. (6) Gustave Dreyfus,
| 82 mm. Gilt.
Bode, while accepting the authorship of this reverse for
Bertoldo, as proposed in the Burl. Mag. for 1917, extends
the attribution to the obverse portrait of Diedo, which
appears to me entirely unwarranted. The obverse seems
to be a late restitution (see no. 506); in any case the re-
verse was made for it, and the medal is a hybrid and an
after-cast. Bode himself observes that the portrait is quite
different in conception and treatment from the art of
Bertoldo or indeed of Florence, and explains this discrep-
ancy by the assumption of a Venetian painting as model.
REVERSE of a MEDAL.
919. No inscription. A low triumphal car drawn
r. by two prancing horses, ridden by standing
winged putti and preceded by a nude man
running, with flying chlamys, holding the reins
in raised r. On the car a female figure, drapery
leaving her r. breast bare, seated on a large
vase, holding another vase on her lap, and
pointing with curved object at a nude man who,
his hands tied behind him, kneels facing her
on a burning altar; between them kneels a nude
Love, apparently blowing into the interior of
the altar as though to fan the flames; palmette
ornament on the side of the altar. Above,
clouds. In the exergue, quiver, unstrung bow,
two wings and two arrows.
Arm. I, 77, 3. [a. Pl. 149.]
(a) Berlin, 94 mm. Arm., loc. cit. Bode, Berl. Br., 641.
Bange, 304, Pl. 35. Bode, Flor. Bildh?, p. 264;
Bertoldo, pp. 16 and 21. From His de la Salle Coll.
(6) Gustave Dreyfus, 94 mm. Molinier, Les Plaquettes,
89. Heiss, Nice. Spinelli, p. 78, no. 2, Pl. viii, 3.
Bode objects to the old interpretation of this design as
the triumph of Chastity, pointing out that Love appears to
be blowing up the flames which are consuming the victim;
he takes the seated woman to be holding the leg of an
animal and this and the vases to indicate that she is a
Bacchic figure. At the same time, the attributes of Love
in the exergue certainly favour the old attribution. Bange
calls the object which the seated figure is wielding a broken
bow (?).
VI
A Florentine painting in the Wallace Collection (no. 556 ;
here fig. 7) represents the same subject, but lacks the
figure leading the horses and the arrows and wings in the
exergue {Burl. Mag., xxv (1914), p. 118). Here the victim
is a young man. The object held by the lady apparently
has a lash attached to it. Possibly then it is the other half
of the bow which on the medal lies broken in the exergue,
and the lash is the bow-string. In this painting the lady
holds a pot upright on her lap.
In the Pierpont Morgan Collection at New York is an
illuminated MS. of St Didymus Alexandrinus De Spiritu
Sancto (MS. 496) from the library of Matthias Corvinus. On
fol. 2 (A. de Hevesy, La Bibliotheque du roi Matthias Corvin,
Soc. frang. de reproductions de manuscrits a peintures, Paris
(1923), Pl- xxi; cp. Rev. de rArt chret. (1911), p. 15) is a
miniature of the same subject (the relevant portion is re-
produced here in fig. 8). The objects shown in the exergue
of the medal are missing; the object held by the lady
appears to be a branch with small leaves ; the man leading
or checking the horses turns back towards them; the pot
on the lady’s lap is in the same position as on the medal;
the decoration on the side of the altar is not to be made out
in the photograph kindly supplied by the Librarian.
In the light of this MS., it might seem reasonable to
connect the medal with Matthias Corvinus; but since the
MS. was written and illuminated in Florence, the illumi-
nator may easily have borrowed the subject from a Floren-
tine original which had no special association with Matthias.
The representation does not form the main subject of the
page, but is part of the decorative border.
All the above attributions may be regarded as reasonable.
Much less acceptable is that which follows.
HUNGARY (Matthias Corvinus, King of).
920. Obv. MATHIAS REX HVNGARIAE BOHEMIAE
DALMAT Bust r., with flowing hair, laureate,
draped. Pearled border.
Rev. MARTI FAVTlORI in exergue. Cavalry
battle, with numerous figures, between Hun-
garians and Turks; in foreground, a statue on
a column. Pearled border.
Arm. II, 82, 9 (51 mm.). Heraeus, Pl. 29, 1. Miintz
in Gaz. d. Beaux Arts, 1895, xiii, p. 118. Bode, Zeitschr.
f. bild. Kunst, xv, p. 41; Bertoldo, p. 34. [d. Pl. 149.]
(a) Berlin, 51 mm. Simon, no. 160. (6) Florence. New
acquisition. Fair, (c) London (George HI), | 53 mm.
(d) Milan (Med. Mun.), (e) Another (Brera), | 51 mm.
(/) Paris. Tres. de Num., Med. all., Pl. xl, 1. (gj Gus-
tave Dreyfus, | 51 mm. (Z?) T. W. Greene, | 52 mm.
(z) Henry Oppenheimer, 1 52 mm., ex Lanna, Sale
Catal., no. 81, Pl. 7.
The crowded reverse composition suggested to Bode
that this medal should be attributed to Bertoldo. It must
be admitted that the lettering in the exergue of the reverse
is not unlike that on Bertoldo’s medals. But the style of
the design has only a superficial resemblance to his work;
on his medals the crowd of small figures is always badly
arranged, plastered each of them on to the background
with small relation to the others. In this medal there is
much better design, with a proper understanding of per-
spective and depth. The obverse is utterly unlike anything
else attributed to Bertoldo, and much more highly developed
in modelling and conception; the lettering on the other
hand is mechanical 1 printer’s’ lettering. Habich, who in-
clines to accept the authorship of Bertoldo for the reverse,
regards the obverse as copied from the large decorative
relief at Vienna (see A. de Hevesy, La Bibliotheque du roi
[242]
The attribution to Bertoldo, on the ground of stylistic
resemblance, was made by Armand.
REVERSE of a MEDAL.
918. [Obv. Portrait of Francesco Diedo, see
no. 506.]
Rev. DVCE VIRTVTE and, below, MCCCC
LXXV Hercules, with lion’s skin on head and
hanging down his back, holding club in r.,
runs 1., pursuing Centaur Nessus, who carries
off Deianira on his back and wields a branch
in his r. On a high rock in the background
a young male figure (Virtus?), nude to waist,
seated on a seat supported by a lion and an ox.
Arm. II, 71, 6 (83 mm.). [6. Pl. 149.]
(a) Turin, 83 mm. Arm., loc. cit. Heiss, Ven., p. 181,
no. 1, Pl. xiii, 3. Hill, Burl. Mag., xxx (1917), p. 190,
fig. B. Bode, Bertoldo, pp. 31 fif. (6) Gustave Dreyfus,
| 82 mm. Gilt.
Bode, while accepting the authorship of this reverse for
Bertoldo, as proposed in the Burl. Mag. for 1917, extends
the attribution to the obverse portrait of Diedo, which
appears to me entirely unwarranted. The obverse seems
to be a late restitution (see no. 506); in any case the re-
verse was made for it, and the medal is a hybrid and an
after-cast. Bode himself observes that the portrait is quite
different in conception and treatment from the art of
Bertoldo or indeed of Florence, and explains this discrep-
ancy by the assumption of a Venetian painting as model.
REVERSE of a MEDAL.
919. No inscription. A low triumphal car drawn
r. by two prancing horses, ridden by standing
winged putti and preceded by a nude man
running, with flying chlamys, holding the reins
in raised r. On the car a female figure, drapery
leaving her r. breast bare, seated on a large
vase, holding another vase on her lap, and
pointing with curved object at a nude man who,
his hands tied behind him, kneels facing her
on a burning altar; between them kneels a nude
Love, apparently blowing into the interior of
the altar as though to fan the flames; palmette
ornament on the side of the altar. Above,
clouds. In the exergue, quiver, unstrung bow,
two wings and two arrows.
Arm. I, 77, 3. [a. Pl. 149.]
(a) Berlin, 94 mm. Arm., loc. cit. Bode, Berl. Br., 641.
Bange, 304, Pl. 35. Bode, Flor. Bildh?, p. 264;
Bertoldo, pp. 16 and 21. From His de la Salle Coll.
(6) Gustave Dreyfus, 94 mm. Molinier, Les Plaquettes,
89. Heiss, Nice. Spinelli, p. 78, no. 2, Pl. viii, 3.
Bode objects to the old interpretation of this design as
the triumph of Chastity, pointing out that Love appears to
be blowing up the flames which are consuming the victim;
he takes the seated woman to be holding the leg of an
animal and this and the vases to indicate that she is a
Bacchic figure. At the same time, the attributes of Love
in the exergue certainly favour the old attribution. Bange
calls the object which the seated figure is wielding a broken
bow (?).
VI
A Florentine painting in the Wallace Collection (no. 556 ;
here fig. 7) represents the same subject, but lacks the
figure leading the horses and the arrows and wings in the
exergue {Burl. Mag., xxv (1914), p. 118). Here the victim
is a young man. The object held by the lady apparently
has a lash attached to it. Possibly then it is the other half
of the bow which on the medal lies broken in the exergue,
and the lash is the bow-string. In this painting the lady
holds a pot upright on her lap.
In the Pierpont Morgan Collection at New York is an
illuminated MS. of St Didymus Alexandrinus De Spiritu
Sancto (MS. 496) from the library of Matthias Corvinus. On
fol. 2 (A. de Hevesy, La Bibliotheque du roi Matthias Corvin,
Soc. frang. de reproductions de manuscrits a peintures, Paris
(1923), Pl- xxi; cp. Rev. de rArt chret. (1911), p. 15) is a
miniature of the same subject (the relevant portion is re-
produced here in fig. 8). The objects shown in the exergue
of the medal are missing; the object held by the lady
appears to be a branch with small leaves ; the man leading
or checking the horses turns back towards them; the pot
on the lady’s lap is in the same position as on the medal;
the decoration on the side of the altar is not to be made out
in the photograph kindly supplied by the Librarian.
In the light of this MS., it might seem reasonable to
connect the medal with Matthias Corvinus; but since the
MS. was written and illuminated in Florence, the illumi-
nator may easily have borrowed the subject from a Floren-
tine original which had no special association with Matthias.
The representation does not form the main subject of the
page, but is part of the decorative border.
All the above attributions may be regarded as reasonable.
Much less acceptable is that which follows.
HUNGARY (Matthias Corvinus, King of).
920. Obv. MATHIAS REX HVNGARIAE BOHEMIAE
DALMAT Bust r., with flowing hair, laureate,
draped. Pearled border.
Rev. MARTI FAVTlORI in exergue. Cavalry
battle, with numerous figures, between Hun-
garians and Turks; in foreground, a statue on
a column. Pearled border.
Arm. II, 82, 9 (51 mm.). Heraeus, Pl. 29, 1. Miintz
in Gaz. d. Beaux Arts, 1895, xiii, p. 118. Bode, Zeitschr.
f. bild. Kunst, xv, p. 41; Bertoldo, p. 34. [d. Pl. 149.]
(a) Berlin, 51 mm. Simon, no. 160. (6) Florence. New
acquisition. Fair, (c) London (George HI), | 53 mm.
(d) Milan (Med. Mun.), (e) Another (Brera), | 51 mm.
(/) Paris. Tres. de Num., Med. all., Pl. xl, 1. (gj Gus-
tave Dreyfus, | 51 mm. (Z?) T. W. Greene, | 52 mm.
(z) Henry Oppenheimer, 1 52 mm., ex Lanna, Sale
Catal., no. 81, Pl. 7.
The crowded reverse composition suggested to Bode
that this medal should be attributed to Bertoldo. It must
be admitted that the lettering in the exergue of the reverse
is not unlike that on Bertoldo’s medals. But the style of
the design has only a superficial resemblance to his work;
on his medals the crowd of small figures is always badly
arranged, plastered each of them on to the background
with small relation to the others. In this medal there is
much better design, with a proper understanding of per-
spective and depth. The obverse is utterly unlike anything
else attributed to Bertoldo, and much more highly developed
in modelling and conception; the lettering on the other
hand is mechanical 1 printer’s’ lettering. Habich, who in-
clines to accept the authorship of Bertoldo for the reverse,
regards the obverse as copied from the large decorative
relief at Vienna (see A. de Hevesy, La Bibliotheque du roi
[242]