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While the communicative nature of early modern Italian portraits becomes increasingly overt during the 15th and 16th centuries, the continued, and increasing, prevalence of the portrait medallion might at first seem to stand against the tide of period advances in creating portraits that engage with the viewer by looking out of the image. Although the portrait medallion, in its sculpted, metallic form, certainly creates a more physically-lasting work, the object's lack of a transitive, communicative sitter (as these sitters are nearly always in strict profile) might lead one to assume that the work is less capable of creating any such connection. Taking account of these things, this study challenges this assumption, examining the way that a portrait medallion, in its three-dimensionality, may actually provide a different, yet equally communicative, connection with the mind of a period viewer. Considering the Aristotelian belief that an image might be capable of 'impressing' itself in a viewer's memory – a belief re-examined in the late medieval and early modern periods – this article suggests that patrons of portrait medallions sought to make an impact on the beholder by way of the artwork's very form. Drawing from the belief that images impress themselves in the mind, as a seal impresses wax, this article adds to readings considering the appeal of portrait medallions in early modernity. By embodying a medium and genre of representation particularly equipped to produce memories, the portrait medallion could metaphorically 'stamp' itself on the beholder's mind, thereby working towards a primary goal of early modern portraiture – perpetually commemorating period sitters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the depiction of likeness and facsimile in medieval and early Renaissance Italian portraiture, including in Italian portrait sculpture and portrait painting. The portrayal of the Italian businessman Enrico Scrovegni in Italian portraits, including in the fresco "Dedication Scene: Enrico Scrovegni Offering His Chapel to the Virgin," by Giotto and the depiction of his face, is discussed.

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Portraits of cities and of human beings shared a nomenclature and developed along parallel courses in the Renaissance. This article traces their common history, examining evolving notions of likeness and approaches to the visual fashioning of identity across both categories of imagery, then considers one urban subject, Rome, that embodied all the challenges of the genre. In representations of the Eternal City such as those by Leonardo Bufalini and Mario Cartaro, artists sought to convey the appearance of Rome in their own time along with that of its glorious past, and to balance what they could see with an imagined, timeless ideal. In this way, images of Rome offer new insight into early modern portraiture and representation in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 1525, Titian (Tiziano Vecellio, ca. 1488–1576) painted the likeness of Alfonso I d'Este of Ferrara (1475–1534). The duke, attired in stunning furs, brocades, and jewels rests his arm on one of his famous cannons. The portrait so enchanted Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1500–1558) that he requested it as a gift, and a slightly different replacement image was commissioned. This article examines the genesis and significance of these little-studied court portraits, in which the twin personae of the condottiere and magnificent diplomat-prince were cleverly conflated. Alfonso had survived two decades of almost constant threats to his state, and the portraits celebrate his resiliency. This study also considers Titian's portrait of the duke's plebeian mistress, Laura Dianti (ca. 1500–1573), whose image visually complements that of her noble lover in an unprecedented manner. I argue that Laura's image functioned to extend the ducal identity to express his passion for beautiful painting and his engagement with contemporary art theory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This essay examines portraits of old women that were produced for the households of the professional and elite classes in Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, and the Veneto during the second half of the sixteenth century, when, as a result of religious and social reform, women's lives came under increasing scrutiny. By interpreting the portraits within the context of prescriptive texts on the stages of women's lives, this study argues that the portraits provide evidence for the pivotal role of old women within the moral and symbolic order of the family, as well as in the wider community beyond the home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the connections between three Italian portraits from the nineteenth century. Each is examined for the visual interaction of identifiable narratives, traced back to Lord Byron and his Siege of Corinth, and portrait likeness. The first two examples—Francesco Hayez's 1832 Portrait of Carlo Prayer as Alp and a closely related engraving by Carolina Zucchi—construct associations between literary Byronic narrative and a contemporary nationalist martyr. Giacomo Trécourt's Self-portrait from 1842-1850 neglects the narrative association of the previous two, but retains a Romantic liberalism in theme and style to convey his break from traditional, neo-classical artistic culture. As the series progresses from 1832 to the mid-1840s, the concept of portraiture expands through shifting identities to comprise a highly allusive and complex treatment of the genre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article clarifies the significance of the iconography of a portrait medal given to Italian painter Lavinia Fontana who was born in 1552 in Bologna, Italy. Accordingly, the medal which was executed by Felice Antonio Casoni measured 67 millimeters with an inscription depicting the name of Fontana and her signiture. In addition, the medal contains unusual features such as the band covering the woman's mouth and the wild arrangement of the hair which coincide with those set down for the allegorical image of painting.

The article discusses the educational value of Italian portraits made by master-colorist Titian. It is said that when colored copies of his works are seen, there is detraction from the strength of the sentiment the portrait should illustrate and Titian's skill as an artist is not appreciated. In education, teachers are advised to show their pupils to show a colored and neutral tones of his works. In telling the story of the portrait and while pupils are looking at the portraits, teachers can determine which portrait enhances the students eye, mind and spirit.