CANDIDA, GIOVANNI (ltal.). One of the most celebrated Medallists of the end of the fifteenth century; born before 1450 and died after 1504. Being engaged as a diplomatist, in various embassies, he worked at the courts of Burgundy and France, as well as in Italy. His ancestors originally belonged to Naples, but little is known of his family, the Filangieri, and until quite recently the artist himself was almost ignored. Bolzenthal does not mention him, Armand only gives his signature CANDID., with the description of two medals thus signed. To M. L. Delisle, Administrator general of the Bibliothéque Nationale, belongs the honour of having raised him from oblivion; and since, Heiss in 1890, and M. de La Tour, in 1894-1895, have published elaborate papers on his works. There is no doubt that Candida was a very clever sculptor and modeller. He occupies an important place in the history of art, were it only for the reason of his having initiated French artists in the Italian Renaissance. His influence was very great. The medals he executed are all modelled and cast, none retouched or chased ; it is highly improbable that he ever engraved medals and seals, as some have supposed. His style is full of life; there is nothing recherché about it ; it is realistic, as the generality of the work of the great Italian plasticatori who have done so much to bring about the golden age of Mediaeval Renaissance. Candida was born some time before 1450, as in 1475 he was already in the service of the house of Burgundy, and had, before leaving Italy, produced at least one medal. From his style of work, he belongs to the Mantuan school, whose masters Christoforo Geremia, Melioli and Lysippus worked for the Papal court ; indeed von Fabriczy affirms that Lysippus was the first to instil the love for art in young Candida, who had come to Rome to devote himself to the priesthood ; later on, the Florentine medallists and especiallyNiccolo Fiorentino exercised a certain influence on his art. In 1477, Candida is mentioned as residing at Bruges, in the capacity of secretary to the Burgundian Court, and we learn from the Jean Miette medal by this artist, dated 1479, that he was in prison, probably on political grounds; the medal is intended to celebrate his deliverance and deliverers. Some time after, probably between 1482 and 1483, Candida abandoned the service of Maximilian for that of the King of France, Louis XI. ; at all events, he was in France at the beginning of the reign of Charles VIII., for whom he wrote a short history of France in latin. In 1491, he had acquired the title of Counsellor to the King, and in the same year he was sent to Rome as a member of the French embassy ; in subsequent years, he was again entrusted with various missions in Italy. He remained in touch with politics under Louis XII. and Francis I. The following medals, arranged in their chronological order, are now definitely attributed to Jean de Candida : Antonio Gratia Dei; signed CANDID., probably executed before 1475 ("Diese Medaille verrät im Arrangement und im Stil gleicherweise das Vorbild des Lysippus ") ; — Giovanni Palomar, Neapolitan Ambassador at the French Court ; — Maximilian of Austria and Mary of Burgundy (2 types, one of 1477 and the other of 1479 or 1482); — Jean Carrondelet and Marguerite de Chassey ; — Jean de la Gruthuse and Jean Miette (Jean Miette is styled : CUSTOS CARCER CANDIDAE and was Master of the Prison at the Castle of Lille, where Candida had been incarcerated; R. illustrated), 1479; — Nicolas Ruter, 1482 (?); — Pierre de Coutharhi, jurisconsult; — Guillaume des Perriers, jurisconsult? — Pierre de Sacierges, jurisconsult; — Robert Brigonnet, French statesman, Archbishop of Reims, a friend of Candida (2 var.) ; — Julian and Clement della Rovere ; — Neri Capponi, obv. only; — Nicolas Maugras, statesman; —Pierre Briconnet, statesman, 1503 ; — Thomas Bohier, statesman; King Francis I., as Duke of Valois, and Count of Angoul?me R. Salamander in flames (2 var.); — Louise of Savoy and Margaret of Angoul?me; — Giov. Franc. Rovere, Bishop of Turin and Prefect of Rome ; — Maximilian of Austria and Charles of Burgundy, 1477, signed : CAND (Armand had read the signature CARO, which is clearly a mistake (illustrated); — Charles the Bold of Burgundy R. JE LAI EMPRINS, &c. (illustrated) ; — The Chancellor Carandolet and his wife (published by de La Tour) ; — Charles the Bold of Burgundy and his brother Anthony (Dr Bode suggests the attribution of these medals also to Candida : " Von Karl dem Kühnen und seinem Bruder Anton gibt es aus dem Anfang oder der Mitte der siebziger Jahre ein paar Medaillen mit blossen Köpfen und dem Emblem des goldnen Vliesses auf der Rückseite (wie in Niccolo Fiorentinos grosser Medaille Antons) ; sie gelten als niederländische Arbeiten, sind aber wohl sicher von der Hand eines Italieners, der damals am burgundischen Hofe lebte. Sollte nicht Candida dieser Künstler sein, dessen frühen Arbeiten sie am nächsten stehen." A number of other medals have been attributed to Candida by Heiss, either erroneously, or without sufficient reason. The medals of Maximilian and Mary gave birth to a number of struck imitations in Germany in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. One, dated 1479, the so-called Marriage-Thaler of Maximilian and Mary, is the best of these, and probably the work of Gian Marco Cavalli, Engraver at the Mint of Hall in Tyrol, after 1506. There is a medallic portrait of the artist (illustrated). Heiss assigns it to Candida himself, which is however very doubtful. M. de La Tour, feels more inclined to give it to Lysippus, a medallist who worked for Pope Sixtus IV. Mazerolle hesitates in the attribution of some of the French medals to Candida. Bibliography. — Armand, op. cit. — A. Heiss, Jean de Candida, médailleur et diplomate, Revue numismatique, 1890. — H. de la Tour, Jean de Candida, Revue numismatique, 1894 et 1895. — L. Delisle, Bibliothéque de l'Ecole des Charles, 1890. —E. Müntz, Histoire de l'art, t. I-II.. — Dr Julius Cahn, Medaillen und Plaketten der Sammlung W. P. Metzer, Frankfort, 1898. — I. B. Supino, op. cit. — Mazerolle, op. cit. — C. von Fabriczy, Medaillen der italienischen Renaissance, 1903. —; W. Bode, Zur neuesten Forschung auf dem Gebiete der italienischen Medaillenkunde, Zeitschrift für bildende Kunst, XXXIX, 37.
Source: Biographical dictionary of medallists; coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, ancient and modern, with references to their works B.C. 500-A.D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer, London 1904
Source: Biographical dictionary of medallists; coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, ancient and modern, with references to their works B.C. 500-A.D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer, London 1904
BRUN, SILVESTRE JOSEPH
BRUN, SILVESTRE JOSEPH (French). Sculptor and Medallist of the beginning of the nineteenth century, born in 1792. In 1813, he obtained for gem-engraving the second prize at the Concours pour Rome. His finest gems are : Theseus raising the stone under which his father had hidden his arms, and Androcles recognized by the lion, 1817. As a sculptor, he produced some excellent work, and he largely contributed to the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile at Paris. There is a large portrait medal of Louis XVIII....
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BRUN, SILVESTRE JOSEPH (French). Sculptor and Medallist of the beginning of the nineteenth century, born in 1792. In 1813, he obtained for gem-engraving the second prize at the Concours pour Rome. His finest gems are : Theseus raising the stone under which his father had hidden his arms, and Androcles recognized by the lion, 1817. As a sculptor, he produced some excellent work, and he largely contributed to the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile at Paris. There is a large portrait medal of Louis XVIII....
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BRUNNER, MARTIN
BRUNNER, MARTIN (Germ.). Medallist, born at Nuremberg, 1659; a pupil of Wolrab. He resided for some time at Breslau and Prague, and later returned to his native city, for which he principally worked. He also executed some medals for various princes, and a large number of dies for striking draughtsmen in wood. He largely contributed to the series of medals commemorating contemporary events, issued by Kleinert and Lauffer. He died at Nuremberg in 1725. Several of his works relate to English histor...
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BRUNNER, MARTIN (Germ.). Medallist, born at Nuremberg, 1659; a pupil of Wolrab. He resided for some time at Breslau and Prague, and later returned to his native city, for which he principally worked. He also executed some medals for various princes, and a large number of dies for striking draughtsmen in wood. He largely contributed to the series of medals commemorating contemporary events, issued by Kleinert and Lauffer. He died at Nuremberg in 1725. Several of his works relate to English histor...
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BRUPPACHER, JOHANN CASPAR
BRUPPACHER, JOHANN CASPAR (Swiss). Medallist, born at Wädenswil; Mint-master at Lucerne, 1794. His initials C.B. or J. C. B. appear on his coins. A number of medals bear the same artist's signature, generally in full : Military Medal of canton Unterwald, 1786; — School-prize Thaler for Obwald, 1786 ; — Prize medals (sev. var.) for Nidwald ; — Zoug Shooting Thaler, 1827 (2 var.') ; — Zoug School-prize medals (sev. var. and sizes) ; — Prize medal of the St. Urbanus School, 1782, &c. This Engraver'...
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BRUPPACHER, JOHANN CASPAR (Swiss). Medallist, born at Wädenswil; Mint-master at Lucerne, 1794. His initials C.B. or J. C. B. appear on his coins. A number of medals bear the same artist's signature, generally in full : Military Medal of canton Unterwald, 1786; — School-prize Thaler for Obwald, 1786 ; — Prize medals (sev. var.) for Nidwald ; — Zoug Shooting Thaler, 1827 (2 var.') ; — Zoug School-prize medals (sev. var. and sizes) ; — Prize medal of the St. Urbanus School, 1782, &c. This Engraver'...
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BRUSH, JAMES
BRUSH, JAMES (Brit.) is described in Watson's Dublin Directory for 1797 as "a Jeweller and Madeira wine merchant, residing at 7 Andrew street. We have an advertisement of his from the Dublin Chronicle of January 6th, 1789, which states : — « In the seal line, he presumes to say that no person in this city can equal him for neatness and durability of the settings. He has engaged an eminent seal-engraver from London, specimens of whose work are ready for inspection ; among them is a striking liken...
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BRUSH, JAMES (Brit.) is described in Watson's Dublin Directory for 1797 as "a Jeweller and Madeira wine merchant, residing at 7 Andrew street. We have an advertisement of his from the Dublin Chronicle of January 6th, 1789, which states : — « In the seal line, he presumes to say that no person in this city can equal him for neatness and durability of the settings. He has engaged an eminent seal-engraver from London, specimens of whose work are ready for inspection ; among them is a striking liken...
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