Federigo II Gonzaga, 1500-1540, 5th Marquess of Mantua 1519 and 1st Duke of Mantua 1530 [obverse]

1519/1530

Mantuan 16th Century

Associated Names
Mantuan 16th Century

Artist

The sculpture depicted is a circular medallion featuring the profile of a male figure. The figure has curly hair and a beard, and is dressed in a draped garment. The medallion appears to be made from a copper or bronze-like material with a greenish patina and visible corrosion marks. There is a hole near the top edge of the medallion, and inscriptions can be seen around the edge. The design suggests that the sculpture is meant to be viewed up close for detailed examination.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 3.47 cm (1 3/8 in.)
    gross weight: 15.19 gr (0.033 lb.)
    axis: 11:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.683.a

Associated Artworks

This is a photograph of an engraved ancient coin. The coin features a figure in a classical style robe holding a palm branch in one hand and what seems to be a circular shield in the other hand. The figure is set against the textured surface of the coin, with worn edges showing the coin's age. The border of the coin is decorated with a dotted pattern, and there is a small hole near the top edge. The color of the coin is a brown hue, typical of aged copper or bronze, with darker areas indicating oxidation or dirt accumulation.

Saint Catherine [reverse]

Mantuan 16th Century

1519

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

1883

  • Armand, Alfred. Les médailleurs italiens des quinzième et seizième siècles. 2nd ed. 3 vols. Paris, 1883-1887: 2:155, no. 2.

1930

  • Hill, George Francis. A Corpus of Italian Medals of the Renaissance before Cellini. 2 vols. London, 1930: no. 269.

1931

  • Hill, George Francis. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Medals. Oxford, 1931: no. 90.

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: 166.

1967

  • Hill, George Francis, and Graham Pollard. Renaissance Medals from the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art. London, 1967: no. 90.

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 133, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: FEDERICVS II MAR[chio] V MANTVAE

Wikidata ID

Q63847689

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