Ludovico Trevisan, also known as Ludovico Scarampi (Mezzarota), died 1465, Patriarch of Aquileia December 1439, Cardinal July 1440 [obverse]

Art Historical Context

This bronze medal, created in 1440 by the Italian medallist Cristoforo di Geremia, commemorates Ludovico Trevisan (also known as Ludovico Scarampi Mezzarota) shortly after his elevation to Patriarch of Aquileia and Cardinal. Trevisan, a Venetian nobleman and influential church leader, rose rapidly through the ranks during the papacy of Eugenius IV, reflecting the political and ecclesiastical dynamics of mid-fifteenth-century Italy. Such portrait medals served as portable tributes, celebrating notable figures in a manner reminiscent of ancient Roman coinage. Cristoforo di Geremia worked in the Renaissance tradition of medallic art, employing the lost-wax casting technique to capture fine details in bronze. The obverse likely features a profile portrait of Trevisan, emphasizing dignity and authority through precise modeling of features and costume. These small-scale works—here measuring under four centimeters in diameter—were valued for their durability and ability to circulate among collectors and courts. Part of the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art, the medal highlights how Renaissance patrons used art to affirm status and legacy. Its creation in the very year of Trevisan’s cardinalate underscores the immediacy with which such honors were visually recorded.