Mars with Three Figures [reverse]

1513

Italian 16th Century

Associated Names
The sculpture is a circular relief featuring a scene with multiple figures. In the center, there is a group of three standing figures. To the right, there is a helmeted figure on horseback. On the left, there are two figures. Above them, a figure sits on a cloud or raised platform, gesturing downwards. The sculpture is rendered in a bronze-colored material, with light and shadow accentuating the figures' details, giving them a raised look against the round background. The material has a slightly worn texture.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 7.1 cm (2 13/16 in.)
    gross weight: 84.86 gr (0.187 lb.)
    axis: 1:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.900.b

Associated Artworks

The sculpture depicts a profile of a figure wearing regal attire and headwear, crafted as a medallion with an embossed figure on a circular disc. It is bronze in color, suggesting it is made of bronze or a similar metal. The figure wears a patterned garment and a crown or cap. Raised text in a Latin-like script surrounds the figure, likely indicating the person's identity or title. The medallion emphasizes historical and cultural significance with meticulous details.

Louis XII, 1462-1515, King of France 1498 [obverse]

Italian 16th Century

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. 347, repro.

Inscriptions

lower center nearly obliterated: MD13

Wikidata ID

Q63851116

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