Muse of Michelangelo

325, Lot: 861. Estimate $300. Sold for $380. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ITALY. Vittoria Colonna, Marchesa di Pescara. 1490-1547. Cast Æ Medal (43mm, 35.64 g, 6h). Unknown artist. • D • VICTORIA • COLVMNA •, veiled bust left / Phoenix arising left from flames; sun above; all within laurel wreath. Armand II 108, 8; cf. Pollard 565 (for type). VF, brown patina, scratches, pit on reverse. Later cast.

Stemming from one of Italy richest and most powerful families, Vittoria Colonna established herself in important literary circles at an early age. After the death of her husband Fernando Francesco d’Avalos in 1525, she never remarried, subsequently devoting herself more fully to her poetry. In 1536, she established a deep friendship with Michelangelo, which resulted in the artist dedicating poems to Vittoria in addition to producing a series of drawings of her.