Girolamo di Benedetto Pesaro, Captain of Padua 1515 [obverse]

1515

Paduan 16th Century

Associated Names
Paduan 16th Century

Artist

The image shows a circular bronze medal with the profile of a man facing left. The man is wearing a hat and has medium-length wavy hair, dressed in period clothing with a high collar. The bronze material gives it a rich brown color with a slightly aged and patinated texture. There is an inscription in raised letters around the edge of the medal. The relief of the sculpture gives depth, emphasizing the figure against the flat surface of the medal.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in.)
    gross weight: 16.15 gr (0.036 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.767.a

Associated Artworks

The image depicts a circular sculpture resembling a coin or medallion. The sculpture features a series of engraved inscriptions consisting of Latin letters and Roman numerals framed within a decorative vine pattern along the outer edge. The sculpture is brown in color, indicating it may be made of bronze or a similar metal. The surface appears slightly worn. It is a flat object with the inscriptions and decorations raised slightly from the background, showcasing embossed details.

Inscription in a Wreath [reverse]

Paduan 16th Century

1515

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: 2:126, no. 13.

1930

  • Hill, George Francis. A Corpus of Italian Medals of the Renaissance before Cellini. 2 vols. London, 1930: no. 544.

1931

  • Hill, George Francis. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Medals. Oxford, 1931: no. 174.

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: 172.

1967

  • Hill, George Francis, and Graham Pollard. Renaissance Medals from the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art. London, 1967: no. 174.

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 196, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: HIERONIMVS PISAVRVS B[enedicti] F[ilius] PROC[uratoris]

Wikidata ID

Q63847754

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