Francesco II Gonzaga, 1466-1519, 4th Marquess of Mantua 1484 [obverse]

16th century

Mantuan 16th Century

Associated Names
Mantuan 16th Century

Artist

The relief on a coin features a profile of a man's head and shoulders. The man appears bearded with straight, chin-length hair, and is adorned with a patterned garment. The coin is made of metal, with a dark, tarnished silver color that shows a reflective sheen in some areas. The man's image is embossed in the coin with surrounding text. The face showcases angular and precise features against the flat background of the coin.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    silver testoon//Struck

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 2.56 cm (1 in.)
    gross weight: 7.08 gr (0.016 lb.)
    axis: 3:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.1240.a

Associated Artworks

This is a photograph of an old coin. The coin features a central design of a cylindrical object resembling a pedestal or a column with a dome-shaped top, standing on a base. Surrounding the central motif is a circular border decorated with small beading. Encircling this area is engraved text, featuring phrases and decorative symbols that resemble stars. The text appears to be in an archaic script, potentially Latin or another classical language. The coin has a slightly irregular edge, indicating it may have been hand-struck or part of an ancient minting process.

Pyxis of the Blood of Christ [reverse]

Mantuan 16th Century

1500

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. 644.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 46, no. 23.

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 2:no. 801, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: FRANCISCVS MAR MANT IIII

Wikidata ID

Q63854340

You may be interested in

Loading Results