Bust of Thomas Gadagne to left / Linear inscription. From the late 15th century onwards, Lyon was one of the first large European cities to welcome the influence of the Italian Renaissance.

The presence of a gold and silversmiths' guild in Lyon, as well as the arrival of new techniques from across the Alps, explain the fact that medals from Lyon in France were ahead of their time. The Florentine banker Thomas Guadini I (Thomas Gadagne) had his own medal cast in 1523 to commemorate the construction of the family chapel dedicated to saint Thomas within the Jacobins church, Notre-Dame-de-Confort. This is where the 'Italian nation' came together in Lyon.

After the convent was destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century, all that remained – aside from a few architectural fragments – was Francesco Salviati's great altarpiece, The Incredulity of saint Thomas, held at the Louvre. Going against a long-standing tradition, Thomas Gadagne is not featured among the figures in Salviati's painting. This rare and beautiful medal from Lyon is also the only existing portrait of the great Florentine banker.