Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga

Francesco Gonzaga (1444-1483) was the second son of Ludovico III, the second marquess of Mantua. He received the red hat of a cardinal in 1462. He would be the first of nine cardinals in the Gonzaga family, which, however, never achieved a papal tiara.

Mantegna represented Francesco as a young ecclesiastic, and once again in the Meeting scene in the Camera degli Sposi in Mantua, where he is probably in his early twenties. Finally, on the obverse of Sperandio’s medal, Francesco is shown about the time of his death at the age of thirty-nine.

The legend on the obverse reads: Francesco Gonzaga, Cardinal of Mantua, splendour of liberality and of the Roman Church. This could refer to both his spiritual and his temporal attributes: to his lavish lifestyle as a collector of art and antiques, patron of literature, and connoisseur of music and to his generosity toward the poor as well as his devotion to the Virgin Mary.

The reverse refers to Francesco’s political and military activities, but its imagery is somewhat obscure.