Francesco IV Gonzaga, 1586-1612, 5th Duke of Mantua 1612

Balthasar Keller after Guillaume Dupré

National Gallery of Art

A portly man wearing a wide ruffled collar and armor faces our right in profile in this circular bronze medal. He is cleanshaven and has curly hair. He looks to our right from slightly bulging eyes, and he has a high forehead, a bumped nose, full, rounded cheeks, and a double chin. He wears armor densely decorated with vegetative scrolls, and a cape. His collar is pleated into serpentine, figure-eight folds. An inscription in capital letters runs around the perimeter: “FRAN IIII D G DVX MANT V MONT FER III AN I AET XXVI.” And in smaller letters under the man’s shoulder: “G DVPRE F 1612,” but the “2” is upside down. The medal is shown against a black background in this photograph.