Pazzi Cospiracy Medal, obverse: Lorenzo, reverse: Giuliano de' Medici

This famous medal commemorates Giuliano and Lorenzo de’ Medici after the Pazzi conspiration in 1478. The obverse depicts Lorenzo, who escaped, and the reverse in a mirror image portrays Giuliano who was killed in the Duomo during mass on 26 April.

Both sides feature eccentrically floating, bust-length portraits (associated with portraits by Botticelli); each is framed by Brunelleschi’s temporary wooden choir enclosing the high altar (within which priests celebrated mass, unaware of the intrigue). Its narrative content is unprecedented in a medal. The vignette below Giuliano depicts his assasination with journalistic exactitude, while the scene under Lorenzo portrays him warding off his attackers and fleeing.