TREZZO, Jacopo da

This pendant was part of a collection of gems belonging to Duchess Eleanor of Toledo, who purchased it in 1562. It shows the busts of Philip II of Spain (back side) and Don Carlos (front side). The portraits, made on two separate onyx plates separated by silver foil, have been inserted into an elaborate gold mount, decorated with geometric patterns, grotesque motifs and little animals, and enameled using the champlev� technique.

The back side of the pendant depicts the bearded bust of Philip II of Spain, shown in profile, facing the right and wearing a princely suit of parade armour, partly covered by a cloak knotted over his shoulder.

On the front side is the youthful bust of Don Carlos, shown in profile, looking to the left, with an old-fashioned coat and a rich suit of armour, decorated on the shoulder with a lion protome.

The two cameos date back to between 1555, the year in which the medal of Philip II was coined, and 1562, the year in which the Duchess Eleanor purchased the pendant.

This pendant was part of a collection of gems belonging to Duchess Eleanor of Toledo, who purchased it in 1562. It shows the busts of Philip II of Spain (back side) and Don Carlos (front side). The portraits, made on two separate onyx plates separated by silver foil, have been inserted into an elaborate gold mount, decorated with geometric patterns, grotesque motifs and little animals, and enameled using the champlev� technique.

The back side of the pendant depicts the bearded bust of Philip II of Spain, shown in profile, facing the right and wearing a princely suit of parade armour, partly covered by a cloak knotted over his shoulder.

On the front side is the youthful bust of Don Carlos, shown in profile, looking to the left, with an old-fashioned coat and a rich suit of armour, decorated on the shoulder with a lion protome.

The two cameos date back to between 1555, the year in which the medal of Philip II was coined, and 1562, the year in which the Duchess Eleanor purchased the pendant.

The Latin inscription along the edge of the medal indicates that Gianello (1500-1585) was a clockmaker and architect from the city of Cremona. One of his contemporaries described him as a “bull in human form,” and his rough features in this medal reflect this characterization. A collector of timepieces would have been thrilled to have a portrait of a prominent clockmaker. This medal was produced before Jacopo da Trezzo left Milan in 1555 for the Southern Netherlands to enter the service of King Philip II of Spain.

The portrait on the obverse is forceful, and the details of hair, beard and drapery are delicately modelled without being fussy. The reverse, showing the Fountain of the Sciences, is a masterpiece of relief sculpture with expressive movement, strong modelling, subtle variations in relief and a precise but lively depiction of faces, water, and drapery.

On the obverse of the medal the portrait of Ippolita Gonzaga is shown. Ippolita was the daughter of the governor of Milan, Ferrante Gonzaga. The inscription reveals that this was made when she was 17 years old. Her dress and elaborate hairstyle evoke ancient Roman styles.

Inscription on the obverse (in margin): HIPPOLYTA GONZAGA FERDINANDI FIL[IA] AN[NO] XVII [trans.: Ippolita Gonzaga, daughter of Ferdinando [at the age of] XVII].

The reverse showing Aurora in a Chariot Riding across the Heavens, is handled with considerable skill in its modelling and suggestion of space.

Inscription on the reverse (in margin): VIRTVTIS FORMAEQ[ue] PRAEVIA [trans.: The harbinger of virtue and beauty].

On the obverse of the medal the portrait of Ippolita Gonzaga is shown. Ippolita was the daughter of the governor of Milan, Ferrante Gonzaga. The inscription reveals that this was made when she was 17 years old. Her dress and elaborate hairstyle evoke ancient Roman styles.

Inscription on the obverse (in margin): HIPPOLYTA GONZAGA FERDINANDI FIL[IA] AN[NO] XVII [trans.: Ippolita Gonzaga, daughter of Ferdinando [at the age of] XVII].

The reverse showing Aurora in a Chariot Riding across the Heavens, is handled with considerable skill in its modelling and suggestion of space.

Inscription on the reverse (in margin): VIRTVTIS FORMAEQ[ue] PRAEVIA [trans.: The harbinger of virtue and beauty].

The obverse of the medal depicts the bust of Mary I of England facing left, wearing an elaborate gown, a chemise, a pendant, a cap adorned with jewels, and a veil. Beaded border. Her features are given an extraordinary alertness, while the details of her costume are rendered with a precision that is nonetheless subordinate to the form of the body beneath and to the overlapping layers of drapery.

The reverse of the medal shows a figure of Peace, draped and wearing a radiate crown, seated on a throne, below which are a cube bearing clasped hands and some scales. She holds in her right hand palm olive branches, and in her left a flaming torch with which she sets alight a pile of arms in front of a crowd of figures and a temple. To the left, suppliant figures beset by hailstorms. Above, rays issuing from a cloud. Below, water.

In addition to medals, Trezzo also produced important work on a larger scale, for example a lectern in Plasencia Cathedral and decorative sculpture at the Capilla Mayor at El Escorial, near Madrid, for which he carved the great tabernacle of the high altar from designs by Herrera.