3-045-215 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

An Emperor or a King, about 1550. Additional Info: The roundel depicts the profile head of a mature man wearing a crown and armor of chain metal with a breastplate. The lack of a beard and the archaic nature of the crudely spiked crown suggest it may represent an emperor or king from the heroic past. The sensitively modeled and distinctive facial features indicate that it could have been based on a specific source. Such representations were common in decorative portrait medallions and medals during the Renaissance.