Jupiter Thundering against the Giants [reverse]
1549
![Jupiter Thundering against the Giants [reverse] by Leone Leoni](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.artheonmuseum.org%2Fnga%2Fthumb%2Fjupiter-thundering-against-the-giants-reverse-nga-45089.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Medium
bronze//Late cast
Dimensions
overall (diameter): 7.24 cm (2 7/8 in.) gross weight: 73.99 gr (0.163 lb.) axis: 7:00
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1957.14.1019.b
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Behold the reverse of this exquisite bronze medal, *Jupiter Thundering against Giants*, crafted by the renowned Italian sculptor and medallist Leone Leoni in 1549. Leoni, a master of Renaissance tradition who served as court artist to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, specialized in finely detailed small-scale sculptures like this one. Depicting the mythological Gigantomachy—Jupiter hurling thunderbolts at rebellious giants—it captures the dramatic clash between divine order and chaotic rebellion from classical lore, a popular Renaissance motif symbolizing triumph and power. Struck in bronze with...
About the Artist
Leone Leoni · 1504–1590
Leone Leoni (1504–1590) was an Italian sculptor and medalist who rose to become one of the most celebrated court artists of sixteenth-century Europe, serving emperors, kings, and popes with equal distinction. Born in Menaggio on Lake Como, he trained as a goldsmith and medallist, skills that brought him to the attention of powerful patrons at a time when the portrait medal was one of the most pres...