Pietà

late 15th century

Venetian 15th Century

Associated Names
Venetian 15th Century

Artist

The sculpture depicts a religious scene with a central figure holding the body of a man. There is a nearby cross with the inscription "INRI" at the top. The sculpture is made of a material that resembles bronze with a warm, brownish hue and a smooth finish. The figures are captured in a moment of repose, with intricate details on the clothing. The sculpture is relatively small in scale, suggesting it might be a devotional piece or part of a larger collection. The cross, draped cloth, and the position of the figures collectively add to the visual narrative of the piece in a relief format.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Medium brown patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (silhouetted on three sides): 6.55 x 4.8 cm (2 9/16 x 1 7/8 in.)
    gross weight: 55.48 gr (0.122 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.394

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

1886

  • Molinier, Émile. Les Bronzes de la Renaissance. Les Plaquettes; Catalogue Raisonné. 2 vols. Paris, 1886: 2:59, no. 435, as Venetian, end of the fifteenth century.

1931

  • Ricci, Seymour de. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection. Reliefs and Plaquettes. Oxford, 1931: 196, no. 270, pl. 82, as Venetian, end of the fifteenth century.

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: 145, as Venetian, end of the fifteenth century.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: 84, no. 294, fig. 283.

1998

  • Avery, Charles, Marzia Ratti, and Angela Acordon, eds. Sculture: bronzetti, placchette, medaglie. Museo Civico Amedeo Lia, La Spezia. [Cinisello Balsamo], 1998: 268, no. 188.

Inscriptions

on scroll on top of cross: I[ESUS] N[AZARENUS] R[EX] I[UDEORUM] (Jesus of Nazareth, "King of the Jews")[1]

Markings

Reverse bears former inventory numbers 105 (the “5” is uncertain) in white paint (presumably Mylius collection), 295 in red paint (Dreyfus), and 270 in yellow paint (Ricci 1931).

Wikidata ID

Q63814810

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