Inkwell in the Form of a Child Carrying a Shell

c. 1510/1520

Workshop of Severo da Ravenna

Associated Names
Anonymous Artist

Sculptor

Severo da Ravenna

Related Artist, Paduan, active 1496 - 1525/1538

The sculpture depicts a small figure of a boy holding a billowing sail or large piece of cloth above his head with both hands. The boy is captured in a dynamic pose, with his weight shifted to one leg. The sculpture is crafted from bronze with a dark, metallic finish and hints of reddish-brown patina visible around the textures. It stands on a polished black pedestal. The overall appearance of the sculpture provides an impression of a moment captured in motion, offering a lifelike representation in a small-scale format.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 11.6 x 3.7 x 3.9 cm (4 9/16 x 1 7/16 x 1 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.35

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his estate; purchased 1930 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York); purchased 1945 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1957 to NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1931

  • Ricci, Seymour de. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Bronzes. Oxford, 1931: 42, no. 26, pl. 21.

1951

  • Renaissance Bronzes: Statuettes, Reliefs and Plaquettes, Medals and Coins from the Kress Collection. Introduction by Perry B. Cott. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1951: 138, repro. 28, as by Andrea Briosco Riccio.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: no. 476.

1971

  • Mariacher, Giovanni. Bronzetti veneti del rinascimento. Vicenza, 1971: 28 no. 71, repro., as by Riccio.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 84, no. 36.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 191, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q63810255

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