Jason (or Apollo) and the Dragon

early 16th century

Pseudo Antonio da Brescia

Associated Names
Pseudo Antonio da Brescia

Artist, Venetian (?), active early 16th century

The sculpture depicts a nude male figure standing confidently with a hand on his hip and carrying a bow in the other hand. In front of him, a creature resembling a dragon or a mythical beast lies on the ground, appearing to be restrained. The background features a tree to the right of the figure and a cylindrical object leaning against it. In the distance, there is a depiction of a landscape with trees and a triangular rooftop or structure visible among the trees. The sculpture is round and crafted from a material that appears to be metal, possibly bronze, giving it a brownish, weathered patina. The entire scene is intricately detailed into the surface of the circular medallion-like form, with the figures and landscape rendered in relief.

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On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G16

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 6.6 cm (2 5/8 in.) gross weight: 51 gr

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.184

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Oscar Hainauer [d. 1894], Berlin; his wife, Julie Hainauer, Berlin; acquired 1906 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York); by exchange 21 October 1920 to Joseph E. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; gift 1942 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1964

  • The Nude in Art, Vancouver Art Gallery, British Columbia, Canada, 1964, no. 22.

Bibliography

1897

  • Bode, Wilhelm von, ed. Die Sammlung Oscar Hainauer / The Collection of Oscar Hainauer. [bound as one volume, English and German pages interleaved in one page sequence] Berlin, 1897 and London, 1906: no. 215.

1908

  • A Cabinet of One Hundred & Thirty-Three Bronze Plaques and Medals of the Renaissance Period from the Collection of the Late Herr Oscar Hainauer of Berlin. Ed. Duveen Brothers. London, n.d. (but 1908): no. 123, repro.

1942

  • Works of Art from the Widener Collection. Foreword by David Finley and John Walker. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 15.

Wikidata ID

Q63810113

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