Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index



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  • Title: Medal of Cecilia Gonzaga (reverse)
  • Creator: Pisanello (Antonio di Puccio Pisano), artist
  • Description: The nude personification of Innocence sits in a rocky landscape with a male unicorn that lays its head in her lap. The unicorn could be captured only by a virgin and was therefore a symbol of chastity. To the right is Pisanello's signature.
  • Source: Wikimedia Commons
  • Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
  • Subject (See Also): Classical Influences Personification Unicorns Virginity
  • Geographic Area: Italy
  • Century: 15
  • Date: 1447
  • Related Work: On the obverse side Cecilia Gonzaga, the daughter of the duke of Mantua, is portrayed in profile. The medal celebrates her chastity. She became a Clarissan nun at the monastery of Santa Paola in Mantua. The medal carries this inscription: CICILIA . VIRGO . FILIA . IOHANNIS . FRANCISCI . PRIMI . MARCHIONIS . MANTVE . Obverse: profile portrait of Cecilia Gonzaga: http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2001/virtuebeauty/fig02.htm
  • Current Location: Washington D.C., National Gallery of Art
  • Original Location:
  • Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Metalwork
  • Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Bronze; Medals
  • Donor:
  • Height/Width/Length(cm): //
  • Inscription: OPUS/PISAN/I.PICT/ORIS/MCCCCXLVII [Work of the painter Pisanello, 1447]
  • Related Resources: