This portrait is taken from a a medal made by Pisanello in 1445. Yet, even though he was working within a context od traditional International Gothic iconography, Piero succeds in giving it a new depth: what was just an emblem on a coin becomes a fully-rounded, almost sculptural portrait with a proud expression of unrelenting cruelty. The three-dimensional effect is achieved also by a most realistic skin tonality, created with the technique of oil paints.
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