Oval Dish with the Birth of Adonis

c. 1560

Workshop of Jean de Court

Associated Names
Anonymous Artist

Artist

Jean de Court

Related Artist, French, active 1553 - active c. 1585

This is a painting of a scene depicted on a decorative plate. The scene shows a group of figures around a tree, with a central figure merging or growing into the tree, surrounded by others in various poses. The style is reminiscent of the mannerist period of art, displaying dynamic figures and dramatic compositions typical of the European Renaissance period. The figures are dressed in flowing garments with a rich and deep color palette dominated by blue, white, and earthy tones. The border of the plate is ornately decorated with intricate floral and vine patterns, as well as small cherubs and other embellishments, all rendered in exquisite detail, and outlined in black and gold. The overall composition suggests a mythological or allegorical subject, common in the decorative arts of the Renaissance.

Media Options

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On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G18

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    enamel painted on copper

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 46.9 x 38.1 cm (18 7/16 x 15 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.290

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Prince Petr Soltykoff [c. 1801-1889], Paris; (his sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 8 April-1 May 1861, no. 484). Frédéric Spitzer [1815-1890], Paris; (his estate sale, at his residence by Chevallier and Mannheim, Paris, 17 April-16 June 1893, no. 497). Maurice Kann [1839-1906], Paris; purchased 1908 with the entire Kann collection by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris); purchased 13 November 1909 by Peter A.B. Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania;[1] inheritance from the Estate of Peter A.B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park, 1942.
[1] Widener collection records in NGA curatorial files.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1892

  • Molinier 1892, 2: (1891): 43-44, no. 81.

1935

  • Inventory of the Objects d'Art at Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, The Estate of the Late P.A.B. Widener. Philadelphia, 1935: 36, Van Dyck Room, as by Couly Nouailly, about 1530.

1942

  • Works of Art from the Widener Collection. Foreword by David Finley and John Walker. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 10, as by Couly Nouailly.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 203, no. 30.

1993

  • Distelberger, Rudolf, Alison Luchs, Philippe Verdier, and Timonthy H. Wilson. Western Decorative Arts, Part I: Medieval, Renaissance, and Historicizing Styles including Metalwork, Enamels, and Ceramics. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1993: 97-100, color repro. 98.

Inscriptions

on reverse on a tablet: NUL NE SY FROTE.

Wikidata ID

Q62131013

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