Gonzaga Urn

c. 1487
bronze
31 (12 1/4)
Galleria Estense, Modena

The splendid Gonzaga Urn is a the only extant decorative object among Antico’s oeuvre. It may relate to two silver vases that are described as “by the hand of Antico” in the 1496 inventory drawn up after Gianfrancesco Gonzaga’s death. Objects like these must have formed an important part of the sculptor’s work as a goldsmith, which does not survive. The complex and energetic relief decoration is modeled with enormous care; it represents an amorous revelry, known as a marine Thiasos, that is led by a nude Neptune seated on a chair in a small boat drawn by lively sea horses that are spurred on by a flying Cupid. Riding on the back of a sea centaur, a demure draped female figure, who follows Neptune, may be identified as Amphitirite, his wife. The procession wraps around the urn, with amorous sea creatures in various states of misbehavior. The intricate trophy of ancient Roman arms on the shoulder of the urn may refer to Gianfrancesco’s profession as a military commander.

Antico must have known Andrea Mantegna’s groundbreaking engraving of the Battle of the Sea Gods (left and right half), in which similarly rendered sea centaurs, curly-haired nude nereids, hippocamps, and an exitable horse confront each other in war rather than in pursuit of love. There are many differences in the rendering of the mythological figures, but the overall effect and many individual details are related. 

The mottos PROBITAS LAVDATVR (virtue is praised) and MAI PIV (never more), which appear on the urn, were adopted by Gianfrancesco Gonzaga and his wife Antonia del Balzo, respectively, and indicate that it was made for them. They are also found on two of Antico’s medals of the couple. The reverse of the medal of Antonia shows MAI PIV engraved on the side of a boat, on which unhappy fortune is drawn by two Pegasi (winged horses). While depicted in miniature, this relief is similar to the boat drawn by sea horses on the urn. The ominous “never more” may refer to the ruin of Antonia’s Neapolitan family after the failure of the Barons’ Conspiracy (Congiura dei Baroni) in 1487, and suggests a date for both the urn and the medal after that event.

References: Hermann 1909/1910, 233–234, cat. 2; Chambers and Martineau 1981, 133, cat. 51 (entry by Anthony Radcliffe); Allison 1993/1994, 87–95, cat. 10; Trevisani and Gasparotto 2008, 132–133, cat. I.9 (entry by Davide Gasparotto)