Portrait of Leonello D'Este, Marquess of Ferrara (obverse)

Renaissance medals usually show a person on the front and a symbolic element on the back, creating an overall statement about the individual. Lionello d'Este was one of the most sophisticated patrons in Renaissance Italy, and he was one of the first figures to sponsor the tradition of medals in the 1400s.

Credit: Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund