Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
by BERTOLDO DI GIOVANNI, Copper alloy, diameter 6 cm
On the obverse of the medal, Bertoldo portrays the fifty-three-old Frederick III (1415-1493) as an old man with a deep line beside his mouth, with long, flowing hair, and wrapped in winter garb. Only the inscription identifies the subject as an imperial ruler.
At the end of 1468, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III arrived in Rome seeking support from Pope Paul II for his conflict against the Turks. On the reverse, a crowded composition celebrates this event. Bertoldo was probably in Rome at the time as a member of the entourage of Filippo de’ Medici (1426-1474), archbishop of Pisa, of whom Bertoldo also produced a medal.