Isotta degli Atti of Rimini, d. 1470

Isotta degli Atti of Rimini, d. 1470

Matteo de' Pasti

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Obverse: Following her name, in the part of the inscription that is often occupied by a sitter’s title, Isotta is said to have ornamented all Italy by her beauty and virtue, two concepts that were considered strictly interrelated. Isotta was the mistress of the Lord of Rimini. Most unusually, they went on to marry. This medal sought to legitimize their union then and forever. Reverse: Both the meaning of the gloriously observed elephant and the choice of date – 1446 – are somewhat mysterious, given that the medal was made some years afterwards. The date may mark the beginning of Isotta’s illicit love affair with the Lord of Rimini and the elephant has been interpreted as signifying fame, chastity and magnanimity.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Isotta degli Atti of Rimini, d. 1470Isotta degli Atti of Rimini, d. 1470Isotta degli Atti of Rimini, d. 1470Isotta degli Atti of Rimini, d. 1470Isotta degli Atti of Rimini, d. 1470

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.