Princess Maria Clementina Sobieska, 1702-1735, Wife of James Stuart, Pretender to the British Throne [obverse]

Art Historical Context

This exquisite silver medal, crafted by Italian engraver Ottone Hamani in 1719, captures the likeness of Princess Maria Clementinaieska (1702–1735) on its obverse side. Measuring just under 5 cm in diameter and weighing over 52 grams, it the Renaissance-inspired tradition of medal-making, where small-scale sculptures served as portable portraits for Europe's elite. Hamerani, a of the Roman school, was renowned for his intricate engravings on papal and commemorative medals, blending classical profiles with contemporary portraiture. The medal's subject, Maria Clementina, was a Polish noblewoman who married James Francis Edward Stuart—the "Old Pretender" and Jacobite claimant to the British throne—in a dramatic union that year. Escaping imprisonment en route to Rome, their marriage symbolized Stuart hopes for restoring the monarchy after the 1688 Glorious Revolution. Produced amid Jacobite intrigue, this piece likely commemorated her role as a resilient consort, circulated among supporters in exile. Hamerani's technique shines in the medal's precise axis alignment (12:00) and fine silver detailing, allowing high-relief features to catch the light. Housed in the National Gallery of Art as a gift from Lisa and Leonard Baskin, it highlights medals' cultural role as political artifacts—beautiful yet potent emblems of loyalty and lost causes.