Cherub, Swan, and Eagle [reverse]

c. 1513

Mea

Associated Names
Mea

Artist, Mantuan, active c. 1510 - 1520

The sculpture shown in the circular medallion features three birds standing on pedestals. The left bird looks like an eagle, showcasing detailed feathers. The center bird resembles a stylized phoenix with spread wings and a crest, also detailed with feather texture. The right bird is similar to a swan, with raised wings and a gracefully curved neck. The medallion is made of bronze, giving it a metallic brown appearance with hints of patina. It is positioned above the engraved words "TER MAX." The scene shows the birds on rectangular pedestals, with a plain background to focus on the carved figures.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 3.93 cm (1 9/16 in.)
    gross weight: 21.88 gr (0.048 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.680.b

Associated Artworks

The image shows a medal with a bas-relief sculpture of an elderly man wearing a cloak viewed from the side. The man appears bald and the cloak is draped over his shoulder. The sculpture is in a warm, brownish metallic material with a patina. The inscriptions around the man's profile read "BAPT SPANOLVS." There is a circular hole near the top edge of the medal.

Battista Spagnoli of Mantua, 1447-1516, Carmelite Poet [obverse]

Mea

1513


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his heirs; purchased with the entire Dreyfus collection 9 July 1930 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris); sold 31 January 1944 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[1] gift 1957 to NGA.
[1] The Duveen Brothers Records document the firm’s sixteen year pursuit and eventual acquisition of the Dreyfus collection, which included paintings, sculptures, small bronzes, medals, and plaquettes. Bequeathed as part of his estate to Dreyfus’ widow and five children (a son and four daughters), who had differing opinions about its disposition, the collection was not sold until after his widow’s death in April 1929. Duveen did not wish to separate Dreyfus’ collection of small bronzes, medals, and plaquettes, and it was sold intact to the Kress Foundation for a price that was met by installment payments every three months. (Duveen Brothers Records, accession number 960015, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles: reel 301, box 446, folders 3 and 4; reel 302, box 447, folders 1-6; reel 303, box 448, folders 1 and 2; reel 330, box 475, folder 4.) See also George Francis Hill’s discussion "A Note on Pedigrees" in his catalogue, The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Medals, Oxford, 1931: xii, which was commissioned by Duveen Brothers.

Associated Names

Bibliography

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 131, repro.

Inscriptions

around bottom circumference: TER MAX[imus]

Wikidata ID

Q63847722

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