Dido, Queen of Carthage

A bronze medal in low relief shows a woman in profile facing right, her hair bound up with a band and curls falling to her shoulders, a draped garment fastened at the shoulder. Greek lettering runs around the rim, and the warm brown patina gives the portrait a quiet, antique finish.

Look closer: Greek lettering around the rim, partly worn at the left edge

Artist

Alessandro Cesati

Date

1538–1564

Medium

Bronze

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

4000 × 3761 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of The Mark and Lottie Salton Trust, 2021