The Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection of portrait medals is considered to be the world's greatest medals collection in private hands. This fully illustrated volume features twenty of the best objects in the collection, with a checklist of one hundred and sixty more, and an essay which highlights why the Scher collection is noted for its comprehensiveness and outstanding quality. An accessible introduction to a remarkable collection, this volume brings to life these masterpieces of small-scale sculpture, compellingly conveying the circumstances of their creation and their historic significance. A selection of some 160 portrait medals from the Scher collection is accompanied by an illustrated essay on the art of the medal, its origins, uses, and relationship to other arts. An in-depth scholarly publication that catalogues the entirety of this important collection-consisting of some 879 medals-is planned for a later date. AUTHOR: Aimee Ng is Associate Curator at The Frick Collection, NY, and a specialist in Italian Renaissance art. SELLING POINTS: . A compact guide to one of the best portrait medal collections in the world . Includes an essay on the art of the medal from the 15th- to the 19th-century in Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands and England . Beautiful images makes this an accessible and appealing introduction to the subject 40 colour