Profile Portrait of Valerio Belli by Raphael (1517, Sotheby's)

This small circular portrait depicts a man in profile with a pointed beard and light brown hair. He is dressed in a dark garment featuring a thick fur collar, set against a dark, textured background. The composition deliberately mimics the style of an ancient Roman coin or commemorative medal, reflecting the subject's own profession as a master of glyptics.

Valerio Belli was one of the most celebrated engravers of the Renaissance, specializing in carved gemstones and medals that revived classical iconography. His work for the papal court and the Medici family facilitated the spread of Neoplatonic and mythological imagery through portable, highly prized objects that were central to humanist study and the development of the 'all'antica' style.