While the communicative nature of early modern Italian portraits becomes increasingly overt during the 15th and 16th centuries, the continued, and increasing, prevalence of the portrait medallion might at first seem to stand against the tide of period advances in creating portraits that engage with the viewer by looking out of the image. Although the portrait medallion, in its sculpted, metallic form, certainly creates a more physically-lasting work, the object’s lack of a transitive, communicative sitter (as these sitters are nearly always in strict profile) might lead one to assume that the work is less capable of creating any such connection. Taking account of these things, this study challenges this assumption, examining the way that a portrait medallion, in its three-dimensionality, may actually provide a different, yet equally communicative, connection with the mind of a period viewer. Considering the Aristotelian belief that an image might be capable of ‘impressing’ itself in a viewer’s memory – a belief re-examined in the late medieval and early modern periods – this article suggests that patrons of portrait medallions sought to make an impact on the beholder by way of the artwork’s very form. Drawing from the belief that images impress themselves in the mind, as a seal impresses wax, this article adds to readings considering the appeal of portrait medallions in early modernity. By embodying a medium and genre of representation particularly equipped to produce memories, the portrait medallion could metaphorically ‘stamp’ itself on the beholder’s mind, thereby working towards a primary goal of early modern portraiture – perpetually commemorating period sitters.

中文翻译：

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保姆的印象：记忆和早期的现代肖像奖章

在15世纪和16世纪，尽管早期现代意大利肖像的交流性质变得越来越明显，但肖像奖章的持续流行在开始时似乎与时代发展的潮流背道而驰，以创造与观众互动的肖像通过查看图像。尽管肖像奖章以雕刻的金属形式肯定会创造出更耐久的作品，但该物体缺少传递性，交流性的保姆（因为这些保姆几乎始终处于严格的轮廓）可能使人们认为作品是创建此类连接的能力较弱。考虑到这些因素，本研究挑战了这一假设，研究了肖像纪念章在其三维空间中实际上可以提供一种不同但又具有同等交流性的方式，与周期查看器的思想联系。考虑到亚里士多德的信念，即图像可能能够在观看者的记忆中“给人留下深刻印象”，这一信念在中世纪晚期和近代早期得到了重新审视，因此，本文认为肖像奖章的赞助商试图对旁观者产生影响通过艺术品的形式。由于人们相信图像会在心中留下深刻的印象，而海豹会在蜡质上留下深刻的印象，因此本文考虑到肖像奖章在现代早期的吸引力，为阅读增色不少。通过体现一种特别适合产生回忆的媒介和流派，肖像奖章可以隐喻地将其“盖印”在旁观者的脑海上，从而朝着早期现代肖像画的主要目标-永远纪念时代的拥护者迈进。