Table Of ContentBIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY
OF
MEDALLISTS
VOLUME
IV.
PISANELLO.
(Antonio Pisano).
1397-1455.
BENEDETTO PISTRUCCI.
1784-1855.
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY
OF
MEDALLISTS
COIN-, GEM-, AND SEAL-ENGRAVERS
MINT-MASTERS, &c.
ANCIENT AND MODERN
WITH REFERENCES TO THEIR WORKS
--
B.C. 5OO A.D. I9OO
COMPILED
BY
FORRER
L.
FELLOW OF THK ROYAL NUMISMATIC SOCIETY, &C.
VOLUME
IV
EDITION LIMITED TO 300 COPIES.
LONDON
SPINK & SON L
17 & l8 PICCADILLY \V.
1909
5*535"
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES
MEDALLISTS
Coin-, Gem-, and Seal-Engravers, Ancient and Modern,
with References to their Works.
B.C. 5OO A.D. I9OO
VOLUME
IV
M
(Continuation),
M. B. Vide MATTHIAS BESINGER. Mint-master at Augsburg, 1472-
1494.
M. B. Vide MARCO BOLLANI. Podesta at Padua, 1498.
M. B. Vide MARCO BARBO. Mint-master at Cattaro, 1527-1528.
M. B. Vide MATTEO BEMBO. Mint-master at Cattaro, 1538-1540.
M. B. Vide MUNZMEISTER BUSSENHOVEN, in the service of the
Abbey ofThoren, 1569-1575. Vide also M. PB.
M. B. or Mi. Vide MORITZ BERGMANN. Mint-master at Hanover,
1628-1666.
M. B. or M. Vide MARTIN BRUNNER. Medallist at Nuremberg,
born in 1659, died in 1725.
M. B. or M* or MB. I. Vide A. MEYBUSCH. Mint-engraver and
Medallist at Stockholm and Copenhagen, 1676-1701.
L. FOIREK. BiographicalNoticesofMedallists. IV I
~~~
4
MEBES, DANIEL (Germ.). Mint-master at Gerbstadt (Mansfeld)
1621-1623. His initials M. D. occur on coins ofthat mint and those
dates.
MEDALLISTS, of Italian origin, whose names are unrecorded,
but whose works, ranging from the fifteenth to the seventeenth
centuries, have been grouped, according to some special sign or
symbol, or also reverse type, recurring on several ofthem, have
been designated, by French authorities, under certain appellations,
which have now been generally adopted. These are :
MEDALLIST, on the Reverse of whose medals appears a Spread
EAGLE (MEDAILLEUR or MAITRE A L'AIGLE). (Vide Vol. II,
p. 4.) These medals are now ascribed by Prof. Bode to Niccolo
Spinelli ofFlorence (</. i\).
MEDALLIST, on the Reverse of whose medals appears a figure of
FORTUNE (MfiDAILLEUR or MAITRE A LA FORTUNE).
Vide Vol. 126 and LORENZO GIGLIAMOCCHI. The
II, p. infra,
authorof these medals is Niccolo Spinelli (q. v.).
MEDALLIST, on the Reverse of whose medals appears a figure of
HOPE MAITRE A
(MfiDAILLEUR or L'ESPERANCE). (Vide
Vol. II, p. 552). Also attributed to Niccolo Spinelli, by Prof. Bode.
MEDALLIST, on the Reverse ofwhose medals appears a figure of
CAPTIVE EROS (M&DAILLEUR or MAITRE A L'AMOUR
CAPTIF). Vide GIAN CRISTOFORO ROMANO, circa 1465-1512, infra.
MEDALLIST, who executed large medallions of ROMAN
EMPERORS (MEDAILLEUR or MAITRE AUX EMPEREURS
ROMAINS). This artist flourished towards the end ofthe fifteenth
century, and probably did a whole series of Portrait-medallions of
Roman Emperors. Armand however only knew the three follow-
ing : Nero (diam. 114 mill.); - - Trajan (diam. in mill.); -
Antoninus Pius and Faustina Senior (diam. 109 mill.); Obv.
Bust of Faustina to r.; tyL. Antoninus and Faustina, seated, facing
each other and clasping hands.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Armand, op. cit., I, 100.
MEDALLIST withthesignature 0. F. (MEDAILLEUR or MAITRE
A LA MARQUEO). The first letter of this signature, saysArmand,
is not the Greek letter <t>, but an I forming a monogram with an
0, and the name of the Medallist may have been : JOHANNES
The medal on which this signature occurs belongs to the period
between 1509 and 1523 and has on obv. a Portrait of the Doge
ofVenice, Andrea Gritti, under the bust ofwhom is : 0. F., while
the I^d. represents the Doge on horseback near the gates ofa sea-
sidetown,theentranceofwhich seemsto be shown tohim by a nude
male figure (Diam. : 65 mill.).
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Armand, op. cit. Heiss,op.cit., Venise, p. 132. Tresor,
I, xxxv, 5.
MEDALLIST with the signature ^ (MEDAILLEUR or MAITRE
A LA MARQUE ^). According to Armand, this Medallist was
working circa 1538, and is the author of the following medals :
Ottavio Farnese and Margaret of Austria, with their busts, and
artist'ssignatureon either side (diam. : 38 mill.); Uniface medal,
with portrait ofayoung Lady(diam. : 39 mill.) ; PietroBembo ;
uniface; obv. PETRI BEMBI'CAR. (diam. 144mill.); Vincenzo
Caraffa, obv. Bustto 1. ;I. FATA VIAM INVENIENT. Alexander
the Great cutting the Gordian knot (diam. 148mill.); Maria de
D.MAR.DE.ROIAS.
Roias; uniface; (diam. : 36 mill.).
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Armand, op. cit. I, 152 ; III, 60.
MEDALLIST with the signature HV (M^DAILLEUR or MAITRE
A LA MARQUE HV). This monogram may possibly represent the
signature of the Cremonese Goldsmith ORAZIO NAZARO, who was
working at Rome towards the end of the sixteenth century. It
occurs on a Portrait-medal of Benedetto Lomellini, a Genoese,
created cardinalin 1565,7 1579; obv. BENEDICTVS CARDINA-
LIS-LOMELLINVS-AN-D-,i569'^T-SVE-52. Bust to
1.;
MANSVETVDO
fyL 'HV. Draped female figure holding and caress-
ing a dove, and trampling on a serpent (diam. 45 mill.).
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Armand,op. cit., I, 255 ; III, 121.
W
MEDALLIST with the signature (M^DAILLEUR or MAITRE A
LA MARQUE W). The two medals ascribed to this artist by
Armand have been restored to ADRIANO FIORENTINO (Vide
Vol. I, N. E., p. 26). They both portray Ferdinand II.Wof Aragon,
king of Naples. The border of the king's hat shows a wWhich is
r"epeated "in the field of the f$L. ; Fabriczy interprets the into a
Motto of the Prince (Fabriczy, op. cit., p. 68).
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Armand, op. cit., I, 101.
MEDALLIST, whose medals are marked with the SIGN OF
MARS (MEDAILLEUR or MAITRE AU SIGNE DE MARS).
Milanesi has identified this artistwith DOMENICO DI POLO (q.v. injrd)
and Fabriczy, as well as other authorities, have adopted his
attribution.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Armand,of. cit., I, 151 ; III, 9. C. Von Fabriczy, op. cit.
MEDALLIST, whose medals are marked with a pair of PINCERS
(MEDAILLEUR or MAITRE A LA TENAILLE). A uniface
Portrait-medallion of Lorenzo de' Medici (diam. 90 mill.) bears
under the bust a pair ofpincers, which may represent th=e name of
the artist, perhaps a member of the Tanagli (tanaglia pair of
Lorenzo de' Medici.
pincers) family of Goldsmiths at Florence, which is still in
existence. Vide TANAGLI infra.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Armand, op. cit. I, 51 ; 111,9. Fabriczy,op. cit. p. 59.
MEDALLIST, who worked for Charles VIII. of France and his
Court (MEDAILLEUR ITALIEN DE LA COUR DE CHARLES
VIII). (FYcfcVol.n,p. 96.)Rondot (LesMedailleurs et les Gravenrs de
monnaies en France, 1904, p. 8r) states that in 1494, at the time
when Charles VIII. was preparing for his expedition to the other
side ot the Alps, several medals were modelled and cast in bronze,
with theKing's ertigy and those ofsome of his councillors, amongst
others, Jean du Mas, seigneurde Lisle, and Beraud Stuart, seigneur
d'Aubigny. These medals are ot Italian workmanship and bear
much analogy with those executed at about the same time by
Niccolo Spinelli. Itis therefore probable, that ifthey are not by the
hand of this Medallist, they were nevertheless modelled by an
Italian who came toLyons to take advantage ofthe king's presence,
and whose influence made itself felt on the works ofcontemporary
Goldsmiths and "Tailleurs d'images" ofthat city.
Rondot furtherstatesthat therewerethree NICOLAS DE FLORENCE
whoworked during the secondhalfofthefifteenth century: NICCOLO
SPINELLI, Engraver and Seal-cutter to the Duke of Burgundy, circ.
1469; NICCOLO SPINELLI or NICCOLO DI FORZORE (also'NICCOLO DI
FORZORE SPINELLl), author of the Portrait-medallion of Alfonso
d'Este (..1485-7 1514); and NICOLAS DE FLORENCE, of Lyons
(...i493-*j' 1499). But Herr von Fabriczy has, to my mind, success-
fully proved that the NICOLAS DE SPINEL, who executed the great
seal of Charles the Bold, and Portrait-medallion of Anthony of
Burgundy (in Berlin Museum) is the same as NICCOLO SPINELLl,
and there is nothing impossible in the suggestion that the artist
may have made a short stay at Lyons in 1494, on the occasion of
Charles VIII.'s residence there, to which period of his activity
Anthony ofBurgundy.
would belong the following works enumerated in Armand :
CharlesVlll.tdiam.95 mill.);^.VICTORIAM.PAX.SEQVETVR.
Victory in biga preceded by Peace holding olive-sprig; Another
(diam. : 40 mill.), uniface;-- Jean Du Mas, seigneur de Lisle
(diam. : 88 mill.) obv. Bust to 1.; 1$L. Dumas, in cuirass, on horse-
back, caparisoned; Jean Matharon de Salignac, French ambas-
sador at Rome(diam. : 88 mill.); tyL. Matharon standing,facing; -
Beraud Stuart, seigneur d'Aubigny, Scot in the service of
Charles VIII., uniface (diam. : 89 mill.) ; Anthony ofBurgundy,
surnamed the grand Batard, obv. and 1$L. legend: NVLI.NE.SI.
FROTA (diam. : 87 mill. ; in the Berlin Museum, and attributed
by von Fabriczy to Niccolo Fioremino) Gilbert de Bourbon,
;
comte de Montpensier, dauphin d'Auvergne(diam. : 73 mill.), uni-
face; Antoinede Gimel (diam. : 88 mill.) ; I. PRESIT .DECVS
and type as that on IfyL. ofDu Mas's medal.
Vide Prof. Bode's monograph of Niccolo Spinelli, and my notice
of this medallist, infra.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Armand, op. cit. Von Fabriczy, op. cit. Friedlander,
op. cit.
8
MEDALLIST, Venetian, of 1523 (MEDAILLEUR or MAITRE
VENIT1EN DE 1523). Underthat appellation,Annandhasdescribed
several medals : Jacopo Loredano; IfyL. Mucius Scaevola holding his
ohbavn.d iVnIaNCbuErNnTiIngVSbr.azMieArR(IdiPaEm.TR: 6O3.miAlNl.D); F.VAiNn.ceAnzEoT.MaXliLpVieIrIi;
%L. REGALIS.CONSTANTIA. MDXXII.I crowned spread-eagle;
(diam. : 63 mill ); Francesco Malipieri; f. FIRME.ET.PER-
PETViE.CARITATI.MDXXIII. Pelican (diam. : 63 mill.);
Sebastiano Renieri; %L. MEMORIAE.ORIGINIS. VENET.
Nude female figure holdingstandardofSt. Mark; Roberto Maggi;
!. LAHOREJNGENIOTET.PROBIT. MDXXII. Nude female
figure holding spear and shield (diam. : 80 mill.); Leonardo
I. PERPETVITATI.D.
Zantani; Phoenix, etc.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Armand, op. cit. Friedlander, op. cit. Heiss, op. cit.
Keary,op. cit.
MEDINA, V. (Msx&.). Medallist and Mint-engraver at Guadalaxara
(Mexico), circ. 1822. By him are several medals: Proclamation of
EmperorAugustineI.,atGuadalaxara, 1822(illustrated'); Another,
Guadalaxara Proclamation medal ofAugustine I.
issued by the Cathedral authorities of Guadalaxara; Another,
issued by the National Consulate, or Civic authorities of Guada-
laxara; - - The Academy of Guadalaxara to the chief ruler ot
Anahuac (Mexico), etc.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Benjamin Betts, MexicanImperial Coinage, 1899.
MEEHOFER, FRANZ (Austr.). Mint-master at Salzburg, 1761-
1770.
MEER, JEAN VAN DER (Dutch). Mint-engraver at Vroenhoven,
1500-1502, replaced byUlric Peeters, on 6. August 1502. His wages
amounted to 12 Flemish livres per annum (Janne Van der Meer,
ysersnydere der munten van der Vroenhove tot Tricht, etc. ; Royal
Archives).
BIBLIOGRAPHY. A. Pinchart, Biographies desgraveursbeiges, Revuede lanum.
beige, 1853, p. 284.
MEGHEROEDE, BRICE VAN (Dutch). Brnssy Tulmans^oon Van
Megheroe.de3 Mint-engraver at The Hague or Dordrecht, at the
beginning of the fifteenth century, appointed on 15. May 1401.
Philip the Good named Nicholas Van Bylande, who died in 1438,
to succeed him, but the extent of Van Megheroede's activity as
Engraver ofthe coins of Holland is unrecorded.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. A. Pinchart, Joe. cit., 1858, p. 42.
MEGRET, LOUIS NICOLAS ADOLPHE (French}. Sculptor of the nine-
teenth century, born at Paris, I. November 1829 ; pupil ofJouffroy
and Duret. By him are numerous Portrait-medallions in bronze,
some ofwhich were exhibited at the Paris Salon 1868. M"e E. T.
:
-- --
G***; 1869. Alphonse Karr; Nice, bronze medal; 1873.
Young Girl ; Portrait of a Lady, etc.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Chavignerie et Auvray, op. cit.
MEHL, FRANZ (Germ.'}. Burgomaster at Glogau, etc., imprisoned
in 1633 on suspicion of counterfeiting coins of Saxony and Bran-
denburg, but released on his proving that the dies found at his
house had been left him by a former Engraver.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Friedensburg, op.cit.
MEIBUS Vide MEYBUSCH, ANTON. Father and Son Medallists in
;
Sweden and Denmark, circ. 1660-1720.
MEIDINGER, HEINRICH (Germ.). Director of the Mint at Fulda,
1765-1770.
MEIDINGER, JOHANN FERDINAND (Germ.). Mint-masterat Treves;
then Director of the Mint at Wiirzburg, 1762; and in 1766 at
Vienna.
MEIER, BARTHOLD (Dan.). Mint-engraver and Court-medallist at
Copenhagen, 1680-1688; Warden of the Mint at Domitz, 1689;
and Mint-master at Schwerin, 1696-1702.
Meierwas ChiefMedallist to Christian V. ofwhom he cut several
Portrait-medals; he is also the author of the following commemo-
rative medals : Fortitude and Prudence of William and Mary of
Great Britain, 1689 (probably issued to celebratetheir Coronation);
B.-M.Da;nIi.shInasucxriliipatriioens:foArCEnHgRlIanSdTI; AobNvO. VA. MflIeSetSaVtMseWaI;LbHenEeLatMhO:
