Cardinal Giacomo De Angelis, 1651-1695 [obverse]

Art Historical Context

This exquisite bronze medal, titled *Cardinal Giacomo De Angelis,1651-1695* (obverse), is to the skilled French medallist Ferdinand de Saint-Urbain dates to 1701. just 3.97 cm in diameter and weighing 32.81 grams, it exemplifies the intimate, portable artistry of 17th- and early 18th-century medals. Crafted six years after the cardinal's death, it serves as a posthumous tribute, capturing his likeness in a format popular among European elites for commemorating clergy, rulers, and scholars. De Saint-Urbain, active in the orbit of Louis XIV's court, was renowned for his precise portraiture and mastery of bronze casting, which allowed for fine details in facial features, drapery, and inscriptions. Medals like this were not mere coins but sculptural objects—collectible tokens of prestige—often struck with an axis at 12:00 for optimal display. The obverse likely features the cardinal's profile, a convention rooted in ancient Roman coinage revived during the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Department of Sculpture (thanks to a gift from Lisa and Leonard Baskin), this piece highlights the cultural reverence for ecclesiastical figures in Counter-Reformation Europe. Giacomo De Angelis, an Italian cardinal, embodies the era's blend of piety and power, making this small artwork a window into the grandeur of papal Rome.