Lavinia Fontana's Freedom

This essay searches for the meaning of the medal commemorating Bolognese painter Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614). While doing so, it rediscovers what has been regarded as an interesting but derivative object to be a most sophisticated artwork. Fontana's medal was not just an honour: it was a cultural intervention that addressed multiple cultural debates taking place across central Italy, from the nature of emblems to women's worth. While presenting some overlooked sources related to Fontana's medal and contemporary artistic production (a couple of treatises, a guidebook, and a thank you note), the essay introduces three new exemplars of the coin. This new evidence prompts a reconsideration of the circulation of Fontana's medal and the identity of its designer, a question that has so far escaped attention.