In contrast to the work of most medalists, all of Giovanni Battista Nini’s medallions were produced in terracotta cast from molds taken from models carved directly in wax. Before the clay was baked and while it was still soft, however, Nini would add final details. Since the wax model was retained, the artist could produce a large number of molds and finished medallions, which were all of high quality, avoiding the problems encountered in bronze casting. Nini was a prolific artist interested solely in the portrait, of which he appears to have modelled around one hundred, none of which bears a reverse. All the pieces are large. Working solely in wax and terracotta, Nini was able to convey in each piece a sense of the direct contact of the artist’s hand, an immediacy that contributed, and yet was subordinate, to the accurate rendering of a wide range of textures and materials and the depiction of the minutest details of body and dress. Although fixed in the traditional profile pose of the medal, the portraits show great variety and sensitivity.

Nini was apparently an intriguing and original character, possessing intelligence, taste and great talent, and this enabled him to number among his friends some of the most important people of the time, including Benjamin Franklin, portraits of whom are among Nini’s best-known and most important works.