Giannello della Torre of Cremona, 1500-1585, Engineer in the Service of Charles V (obverse)

c. 1550

Jacopo Nizzola da Trezzo

Associated Names
Jacopo Nizzola da Trezzo

Artist, Milanese, 1515/1519 - 1589

The image depicts a round bronze medallion with a relief sculpture of a man's profile looking to the right. The subject is a male figure with curly, short hair and a full beard. He is depicted wearing a garment with a collar visible at the neckline. The sculpture is rendered in bronze, giving it a warm, golden-brown color with some darker patina. Surrounding the profile is a border with an inscription that reads, "IAN.ELVSJ.VIRIAN.CREMON.HOROLOG.ARCHITECT." A small hole is present at the top of the medallion. The craftsmanship is detailed, providing a realistic portrayal of the subject.

Media Options

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On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G16

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 8.07 cm (3 3/16 in.)
    gross weight: 156.12 gr (0.344 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.1028.a

Associated Artworks

The image shows a round, intricately detailed medal featuring a group of figures engaged in a scene. The central figure is a woman or female deity standing on a platform, holding a large vessel above her head. Surrounding her are additional figures, some handling vessels or jars, while others engage in poses with the central figure. The scene is bordered with a raised decorative edge featuring text along the perimeter: "VIR TVS" at the top and "NVNQ DEFICIT" at the bottom. The medal has an antique, burnished appearance and is made of a bronze or gold-colored metal. The figures are portrayed in relief against the surface, providing a three-dimensional effect.

The Fountain of Virtue [reverse]

Leone Leoni, Jacopo Nizzola da Trezzo

1550

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

1967

  • Hill, George Francis, and Graham Pollard. Renaissance Medals from the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art. London, 1967: no. 441a.

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 501, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: IANELLVS TVRRIAN[us] CREMON[ensis] HOROLOG[ii] ARCHITECT[us]

Wikidata ID

Q63851780

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