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39 Medal: Cecilia Gonzaga (1425-1451) / Young girl and a unicorn

Portrait medals of rulers and nobles began to be produced during the Renaissance, modeled after ancient coins bearing the profiles of Roman emperors. The northern Italian city of Mantua became a center of medallic art in the mid-fifteenth century, and the ruling Gonzaga family frequently commissioned medals bearing their own profiles. This medal bears the image of Cecilia, daughter of Francesco I Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua. The reverse of the medal depicts a woman stroking a unicorn, a symbol of virginity.