Cardinal Fabio Mignanelli

Giovanni Zacchi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The medalist Zacchi was on the sidelines at the Council of Trent, where he modeled the portrait of Cardinal Fabio Mignanelli (1496-1557), emissary of popes from Paul III to Pius V. In keeping with Counter- Reformation aesthetics, the cardinal has an austere but imposing presence. This is the only known cast of the medal in silver. Its burnished lemony gilding serves as a foil for the vestments' tactile weave.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art