The rediscovery of the individual

Antiquity was ever present – not least in the Middle Ages which understood itself in the tradition of the Roman Empire. It was only in the course of the 15th century that antiquity came to be seen as kind of lost in the mist of time. Hence scholars and artists began striving for a «renascence» of ancient art and culture, in other words, a Renaissance.

In Padua Giovanni da Cavino (1500–1570) and other Venetian artists began striking coins featuring Roman emperors as well as sets of Roman fantasy coins.

The period also witnessed the re-emergence of portrait art, again based on the model of antiquity: the features of the individual take centre stage, just as do the idiosyncrasies of the artists. It is not only men like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo who forge the image of the genius artist, but also sculptors and medallists such as Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571) and Leone Leoni (1509–1590).