Venus

c. 1500

South German 16th Century

Associated Names
South German 16th Century

Artist

The sculpture depicts a nude female figure standing in a contrapposto pose, with her right arm extended outward. Her head is adorned with intricately detailed hair highlighted in a golden hue, contrasting with the darker tones of the figure. The sculpture is made of a smooth dark brown material, likely bronze. The figure is mounted on a square plinth and supported by a larger ornamental wooden base, giving it a grand and stable appearance.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Black lacquer over red-brown bronze, parcel gilding

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 23 × 11.3 × 10.2 cm (9 1/16 × 4 7/16 × 4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.31

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his estate; purchased 1930 with the entire Dreyfus collection by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris); sold 1944 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1957 to NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1931

  • Ricci, Seymour de. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Bronzes. Oxford, 1931: 38, no. 22, plate 19.

1951

  • Renaissance Bronzes: Statuettes, Reliefs and Plaquettes, Medals and Coins from the Kress Collection. Introduction by Perry B. Cott. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1951: 141, repro. 34.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: no. 551.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 154.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 98, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q63810152

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