Venus (?)

Attributed to Valerio Belli

Associated Names
Valerio Belli

Sculptor, Italian, 1468 - 1546

The sculpture is an oval relief depicting a draped figure in profile, with a flowing garment and hair that appear to be caught in motion, enhancing the sense of movement. The subject is shown in a dynamic pose, reaching forward with one hand while holding a cloth or drapery in the other. The sculpture's material appears to be a dark, possibly tarnished metal, giving the relief a monochromatic appearance with subtle variations in tone that highlight the contours and details of the figure. The sculpture is flat and presented in a medallion-style format, with the figure encased within a rounded, smooth-edged frame, creating a distinct separation between the relief and its background.

Media Options

Skip thumbnail navigation
Back to thumbnail navigation
This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    lead

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (oval): 5.1 x 3.9 cm (2 x 1 9/16 in.) gross weight: 20 gr

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.500

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:, 1:204, no. 286.

1931

  • Ricci, Seymour de. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection. Reliefs and Plaquettes. Oxford, 1931. vol. II, 250, no. 366, pl. 106.

1951

  • National Gallery of Art. Renaissance Bronzes: Statuettes, Reliefs and Plaquettes, Medals and Coins from the Kress Collection. Introduction by Perry B. Cott. Washington, 1951: 156.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: 13, no. 27, fig. 372.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 115, no. 12.

2004

  • Donati, Valentino and Rosanna Casadio. Bronzi e pietre dure nelle incisione di Valerio Belli vicentino. Ferrara, 2004: 159 no.172, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q63814957

You may be interested in

Loading Results