Watch List notes:

Pietro Paolo Tomei called Romano (c. 1525 – after 1567), Giampaolo Meli-Lupi aged 5 (1550-71, son of Diofebo II, Marquis of Soragno), bronze medal (1554), IO LVP II MAR SO FIL AETATIS ANNORVM V, bust left in elaborate armour with lion's head on shoulder plate; signed in right field, P P R, rev., TE SE-QVAR (Let me follow you), the young Meli Lupi in armour, looking up at his father and adopting his father's pose; on the ground, pieces of armour and a tree on far right, 51mm (Armand I, 233, 28; Pollard 408 = Kress 357; Toderi/Vannel 1593; Johnson & Martini 2064-5), some edge marks but an extremely fine and sharp contemporary cast of high quality with fine brown patina, very rare. Previously thought to be by Pietro Paolo Galeotti called Romano the cast medals signed P P R have now been re-attributed to the Milanese sculptor Pietro Paolo Tomei, also called Romano, in an article by Silvio Leydi and Susanna Zanuso, "Pietro Paolo Tomei detto Romano: la ritrovata identità del medaglista PPR", in Bolletino d'Arte 25, 2015, pp. 35 ff where the example of the present medal in the Castello Sforzesco, Milan is listed on p. 68, as no. 45 and fig. 38. Giampaolo Meli-Lupi died young at the age of 21, predeceasing his father by 20 years. He was captain of the cavalry under Alessandro Farnese. Provenance: Morton & Eden 20, 27 June 2006, lot 398 and Stack collection, Morton & Eden 41, 9 December 2009, lot 193.
(20000-25000 GBP)