Italian Medals c. 1530-1600 in British Public Collections

First developed in the princely courts of Renaissance Italy in the 1430s, in the 16th century medals were transformed into a recognisably modern form, in the messages they conveyed, the techinques employed in their manufacture, and the uses to which they were put. Contributing to this change were influential patrons including the Medici and the popes, as well as celebrated artists such as Leone Leoni and Benvenuto Cellini. This catalogue takes up the story where Sir George Hill's classic Corp…