Making of a Medal

The tradition of using medallic art to bestow honor is rooted in the Greco-Roman period and was carried on brilliantly during the Italian Renaissance.

Originally the old metal masters cut their designs in low relief and the same size as the final medallion or coin.

Medals can be struck or cast with the latter being the more common method during the Renaissance. The fashionable portrait medal appeared about 1440 with the size increasing to 3-4 inches in diameter. This larger surface enabled the design to be completed the more complexity and in higher relief.

The obverse of the Portrait Society Gold Medal presents a figure of a Hellenistic period sculptress creating a portrait bust. The majority of portrait medallions show head and shoulders profiles. However, the Society's emphasis is upon the artist's involvement in the creative process. Representation of a great portrait artist of the past could be too restrictive by the implied endorsement of that artist's style. A complete figure avoids narrowing our definition. Across the base of the surface is the year of the Society's founding, 1998.

The reverse continues the classical imagery and states the requirements of any successful work of fine art: skill, truth and vision. These goals are engraved into an architectural façade similar to a dedication plaque found on Roman arches. Arranged below are the tools of our various artistic disciplines. The design is encompassed by the ancient classical symbol of triumph and achievement, the laurel wreath.