Portrait medal of Dido, Queen of Carthage (obverse); A View of Carthage (reverse)

Art Historical Context

This exquisite bronze portrait medal, crafted Italian artist Alessandro Cesati around 1550, celebrates Dido, the legendary Queen Carthage from Virgil's *eneid*. The ob features a finely detailed profile portrait of D, rendered with classical elegance while the reverse depicts a view of ancient Carthage, her fabled. Measuring just 4.2 cm diameter and weighing nearly 34 grams, this-alloy piece boasts a light brown pat that enhances its antique allure now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Robert Lehman Collection. Renaissance medals like this one prized collectibles among Europe's elite, blending the artistry of sculpture with numismatic precision. Cesati, a master engraver active in mid-16th-century Italy, drew on classical antiquity to evoke Dido's tragic romance with Aeneas and her role as Carthage's founder. The intricate low-relief engraving captures architectural details on the reverse—likely temples and harbors—highlighting the era's fascination with ancient history and mythology during the humanist revival. As a woman's portrait in a male-dominated medium, it underscores shifting Renaissance interests in female heroines, making this medal a cultural gem that bridges literature, history, and artistry for modern visitors.