Medal with the Portrait of Pope Paul III

Description Pope Paul III (reigned 1534-1549), born Alessandro Farnese, presided over the opening session of the Council of Trent (1545-63), the embodiment of a far-reaching reform movement within the Catholic Church for which Emperor Charles V had pressed. Such a medal could have been valued as much for its associations as for its artistic merit.

Exhibitions

• The Papacy and the Arts. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1995.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters