Collection Online as of May 29, 2023

Portrait of John VIII Palaeologus, Emperor of Constantinople, 1424-1428 (obverse) and (reverse)

c. 1438–39

Part of a set. See all set records

Pisanello

(Italian, Ferrara, c. 1395–1455)

Italy, 15th century

Lead

Diameter: 10.4 cm (4 1/8 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1974.109

Location

105 Byzantine

Description

The art of the medal was introduced into Italy by Pisanello, His work as a medalist began with the portrait medal of this emperor, who, in 1438, visited the Council of Ferrara.

Inscriptions

Inscription

obverse: IWANNHC BACI EVC KAI AVTOKPATWP PWMAIWN O A AIOA O OC [John King and Emperor of the Romans, Palaeologus]

Provenance

Private collection, sold Sotheby & Co., Zurich, May 27, 1974, lot 131, to Blumka Gallery.

Blumka Gallery (New York, New York), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974.

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 88 archive.org

Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1974. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 11-April 6, 1975).

Portraiture: The Image of the Individual. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1983-January 22, 1984).