Professor Elia Volpi

Italian, 1858 - 1938

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See all 19 works of art
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Walnut Savonarola Chair with Medici Arms

Italian 16th Century · 16th century · walnut ·  Accession ID  1942.9.396

Shown from the waist up, an older, pale-skinned man wearing clerical robes gestures to our right with one hand and turns his head to look off to our left in this vertical portrait painting. His shoulders angle to our right, and that arm hangs by his side. His other arm is bent at the elbow, and the hand is held palm up so the fingers loosely point to our right. His gaunt face turns to our left, and he looks off with dark, deep-set eyes under heavy, curved brows. He has a high forehead, a long, thin, hooked nose, and hollow cheeks. His full, smoke-gray beard is painted with blended strokes so appears soft. His crimson-red hat comes to four rounded points over ear-length, dark gray hair. An elbow-length red cape has buttons down the front, and he wears a white garment with a red cuff around the hand we can see. The man is lit from our left in front of a brown background.
Titian, Cardinal Pietro Bembo, 1539/1540, oil on canvas, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1952.5.28

Cardinal Pietro Bembo

Titian · 1539/1540 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1952.5.28

Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman wearing a muted red gown and shimmering coat stands against a stone column in front of a landscape in this vertical portrait painting. Her body angles to our left, and she looks off in that direction with gray eyes under curved brows. She has a round face with a slightly snub nose, flushed cheeks, double chin, and her thin lips are closed. Her strawberry blond hair is pulled back under a band wrapped with pearls. Her copper-red dress has a square neckline lined with lace, and a gold and pearl belt is looped around her waist as a long strand lies down the front of her skirt and off the bottom edge of the canvas. The voluminous coat she wears has a high, flaring collar lined with lace or patterned with black lines against white. The pale, almost iridescent golden-red fabric of the coat has a sheen, suggesting satin or silk, and it is decorated down the front, over the shoulders, and down the sleeves with a geometric design in copper red. The cuffs of the coat are lined with lace, and the woman wears a gold and silver earring in the ear we see and a strand of white pearls around her neck. The woman drapes her left arm, to our right, over the chest-high base of the column, and holds a ring of leaves in that hand. The other hand is by her side as she holds the coat belt to curve like a swag across her body. A pair of palm fronds feather out against the column that fills the right half of the background. A deep landscape on the left half has rolling hills, trees, and mountains reaching back to the horizon under a sky with puffy white clouds. A white unicorn lies on one hill and a dog chases an animal farther back. Beyond that, a person walking along a path back may carry a sack. The tonalities of the whole painting are shaded yellow, and some areas of the woman’s face and neck are in-painted in slightly different shades of pale peach. An inscription carved into the base of the column reads, “SI FATA TVLISSENT.”
Titian, Gian Paolo Pace, Irene di Spilimbergo, c. 1560, oil on canvas, Widener Collection, 1942.9.83

Irene di Spilimbergo

Titian, Gian Paolo Pace · c. 1560 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1942.9.83

Italian 16th Century, Walnut Stool (Sgabello), Carved and Gilded, c. 1540/1560, gilded walnut, Widener Collection, 1942.9.362

Walnut Stool (Sgabello), Carved and Gilded

Italian 16th Century · c. 1540/1560 · gilded walnut ·  Accession ID  1942.9.362

Neroccio de' Landi, Madonna and Child with Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Sigismund, c. 1490/1495, tempera on panel, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1952.5.17

Madonna and Child with Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Sigismund

Neroccio de' Landi · c. 1490/1495 · tempera on panel ·  Accession ID  1952.5.17

Italian 20th Century, Madonna Adoring the Child, c. 1900, terracotta with traces of polychromy, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1943.4.82

Madonna Adoring the Child

Italian 20th Century · c. 1900 · terracotta with traces of polychromy ·  Accession ID  1943.4.82

The curving X-frame design of this wood chair creates an hourglass silhouette from the front, and creates a bucket-like seat for the sitter. The front face of the wooden frame is carved with curving vines and stylized bunches of grapes and leaves, and the frame ends with clawed lions’ feet at the bottom. The seat and legs are made up of alternating slats so the chair could fold up. Imagine interlacing your fingers and then moving your palms back and forth—that is how the pivot of this chair works. The arms of the chair, which have a rounded knob at each front end, rest along the top edges of the slats. The back rail connects at the back of the arms. A crest at the center of the back rail is flanked by the capital letters “A” to the left and “G” to the right. The crest and letters are contained within a medallion-like form, and the sides of the back rail dip down to meet the arms. A worn, pale blue velvet cushion rests on the seat, and has tassels at the front corners. The chair is shown against a pale gray background.
Italian 16th Century, Walnut Savonarola Chair with Letters A.G., c. 1520/1540, walnut, Widener Collection, 1942.9.382

Walnut Savonarola Chair with Letters A.G.

Italian 16th Century · c. 1520/1540 · walnut ·  Accession ID  1942.9.382

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Cassone with Garlands and Cupids

Italian 16th Century · second half 16th century · walnut with gilded gesso ·  Accession ID  1942.9.359

Against a shiny gold background, a man with peach-colored skin nearly fills this tall, narrow, vertical panel above a row of twelve people, significantly smaller in scale, kneeling by his feet and looking up at the man, their hands together in prayer. The top of the panel comes to a point above the man’s head. His body faces us, and he looks at us with brown eyes under furrowed, dark eyebrows. His nose is long and straight, and his mouth is small with a rosy lower lip. He has a brown, trimmed beard, and his hair is receding. He holds up a gold-handled sword with a slate-gray blade in his right hand, on our left, while in his other hand, he cradles a thick black book with a gold-edged pages against his chest. The man wears a floor-length, celery-green tunic with a flowing, rose-pink robe over his left shoulder, on our right, and around his body. The robe is lined with tangerine orange and has a faint, patterned border. The toes of his sandaled feet stick out. On a smaller scale, along the bottom of the painting, six pairs of people kneel facing the center, three couples to each side. Eleven of the people gaze with heads tipped back, up at the man with their hands folded in prayer. To our right, one woman turns and gestures, mouth open, to her neighbor. Their long robes are painted in shades of shell pink, indigo blue, scarlet red, butter yellow, sage green, and chestnut brown. Some wear white fabric over their hair while others are bareheaded. The gold background is incised around the man’s head to create a halo. Molding and a band of alternating strips of slate blue and brick red enclose the pointed panel. Three shapes, like small banners, are painted in red with gold lettering around the man’s head, with an “S” at the top center, “PAU” over his shoulder to our left, and “LUS” to our right. In the blue and red band set into the frame at the lower center, an inscription reads, “NI.MCCCXXXIII M II.ESPLETUM FUIT HC OPUS.” There is a noticeable network of cracks across the painting’s surface, especially on the gold background behind the man.
Bernardo Daddi, Saint Paul and a Group of Worshippers, 1333, tempera on panel, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.3

Saint Paul and a Group of Worshippers

Bernardo Daddi · 1333 · tempera on panel ·  Accession ID  1937.1.3

Italian 16th Century, Table with Green Marble Top, 16th century, walnut, pine, marble, and gilding, Widener Collection, 1942.9.402

Table with Green Marble Top

Italian 16th Century · 16th century · walnut, pine, marble, and gilding ·  Accession ID  1942.9.402

Bibliography

1911

  • "Le Palais Davanzati." Les Arts 116 (August 1911).

1916

  • Art Treasures and Antiquities from the famous Davanzati Palace [sale catalogue]. American Art Association, New York, 21-25 November 1916.

1970

  • Towner, Wesley. The Elegant Auctioneers (New York, 1970), 319-320, 374, 380, 381, 422, 423, 424.