Florentine 15th Century

Anonymous Florentine 15th Century

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Florentine 15th Century, Saint John the Baptist, c. 1490, painted terracotta, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.130

Saint John the Baptist

Florentine 15th Century · c. 1490 · painted terracotta ·  Accession ID  1937.1.130

Florentine 15th Century, A Gentleman, c. 1485/1490, terracotta, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1943.4.75

A Gentleman

Florentine 15th Century · c. 1485/1490 · terracotta ·  Accession ID  1943.4.75

Set within a gold frame, the head and chest of a young man wearing an ornate helmet and armor, facing our right in profile, is carved in relief from white marble in this vertical panel. The man has a long nose, smooth cheeks, closed bow lips, and a snub chin. Curls burst from beneath his helmet, which sweeps from up over his forehead down to the back of his neck. The lifted visor curves up and out past his nose, and is decorated with vines and flowers. The crown of the helmet spirals like a snail shell over the man’s head, and a dragon perches along the top. The dragon has a dog’s head, a scaled body, wings like a bat, a serpent-like tail, and a section of its long neck has been broken off. Two crimped ribbons flutter up and behind the man’s head from the back of the helmet, where it covers his neck. His chest is covered to his neck with a highly ornamented breast plate. At the front of the chest, an adult face with brows furrowed and mouth wide open is flanked by wings. The shoulder we can see is covered with a medallion showing a nude woman holding a cornucopia and a merman. Beneath the medallion, a row of six faces, each on its own narrow panel, fan out over the man’s upper arm. Scrolling vines, leaves, and flowers fill the remaining space around the medallion and winged head. A few pale, parchment-white veins run through the surface of the marble. The panel sits on a shallow, trapezoidal ledge and is framed in a stepped gold frame on the remaining three sides.
Florentine 15th Century, Alexander the Great, c. 1483/1485, marble, Gift of Therese K. Straus, 1956.2.1

Alexander the Great

Florentine 15th Century · c. 1483/1485 · marble ·  Accession ID  1956.2.1

Cast in low relief, a cleanshaven man with a lined face and sagging jowls faces our left in profile on this round bronze medallion. His long nose points down at the end and wrinkles line his forehead. The corner of his mouth that we see is turned slightly down. His short hair is mostly covered by a brimless cap that flares slightly out away from the crown, and he wears a high-necked garment. An inscription around the perimeter of the medallion reads, “COSMVS MEDICE S DECRETO PVBLICO PP.”
Florentine 15th Century, Cosimo de' Medici, 1389-1464, Pater Patriae [obverse], probably 1465/1469, bronze, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1957.14.840.a

Cosimo de' Medici, 1389-1464, Pater Patriae [obverse]

Florentine 15th Century · probably 1465/1469 · bronze ·  Accession ID  1957.14.840.a

Florentine 15th Century, Florence Holding an Orb and Triple Olive Branch [reverse], probably 1465/1469, bronze, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1957.14.840.b

Florence Holding an Orb and Triple Olive Branch [reverse]

Florentine 15th Century · probably 1465/1469 · bronze ·  Accession ID  1957.14.840.b

Florentine 15th Century, Desiderio da Settignano, Florentine 19th Century, Ciborium for the Sacrament, 1460s-c.1470 (stem with integral base); probably 1860s-c. 1870 (dome, enclosure, base beneath enclosure); 1870s (finial, bottom plinth), marble, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1952.5.100

Ciborium for the Sacrament

Florentine 15th Century, Desiderio da Settignano, Florentine 19th Century · 1460s-c.1470 (stem with integral base); probably 1860s-c. 1870 (dome, enclosure, base beneath enclosure); 1870s (finial, bottom plinth) · marble ·  Accession ID  1952.5.100

Florentine 15th Century, A Young Lady, 1450/1475, with later alterations, marble, Widener Collection, 1942.9.112

A Young Lady

Florentine 15th Century · 1450/1475, with later alterations · marble ·  Accession ID  1942.9.112

North Italian 15th Century, Florentine 15th Century, Neptune, late 15th century, bronze//Medium brown patina, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1957.14.155

Neptune

North Italian 15th Century, Florentine 15th Century · late 15th century · bronze//Medium brown patina ·  Accession ID  1957.14.155

Shown from the chest up on the far side of a ledge, a pale-skinned, clean-shaven young man faces our right in profile in this vertical portrait painting. He looks steadily forward. The eye we can see is brown under a thin, curving brow. His nose is bumped near the bridge, and he has a slight underbite. His pale pink lips are closed, and he has a delicate jawline. Short brown hair brushes the side of his face under a coral-red turban, the ends of which fall down his back. A high-collared dark brown garment is edged with white around the neck, and a cranberry-red robe or jacket falls open over his chest. He is shown against a dark, teal-blue background. The ledge along the bottom of the painting is black with edged with gold. Gold lettering reads, “MATHEVS OLIVIERI D NI IOANNI FILI.”
Florentine 15th Century, Matteo Olivieri (?), 1430s, tempera (and oil?) on panel transferred to canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.15

Matteo Olivieri (?)

Florentine 15th Century · 1430s · tempera (and oil?) on panel transferred to canvas ·  Accession ID  1937.1.15

Shown from the chest up, a light-skinned man wearing a burgundy-red turban faces our left in profile against a dark background in this vertical portrait painting. He looks off to the left, and the eye we can see is light brown under a faint, possibly plucked eyebrow. He has a straight nose, and his full peach-colored lips are closed. There is the suggestion of a puffy area under the eye we can see, but the rest of his skin is smooth. His brown hair is mostly tucked under his turban, and a piece of fabric hangs down the back of his neck. A band of his white undergarment is visible at the high neck of his olive-brown shirt, which appears to be pleated or striped down the front. He also wears a black jacket, which covers his shoulder and most of his chest. A brown band across the bottom edge of the painting could be a wooden railing or ledge, behind which the man is shown. Cracks are visible across the painting, especially in the deep green background.
Florentine 15th Century, Profile Portrait of a Young Man, 1430/1450, tempera on panel, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.14

Profile Portrait of a Young Man

Florentine 15th Century · 1430/1450 · tempera on panel ·  Accession ID  1937.1.14