Saint Simeon of Polirone and the Miracle of the Stag

probably c. 1516

Bartolomeo Spani

Associated Names
Bartolomeo Spani

Sculptor, Italian, 1468 - 1539

The sculpture is a rectangular bronze box with detailed relief work on its surface. The front panel depicts a scene featuring several human figures in long robes and cloaks, engaged in an activity alongside a dog in the center. To the left, a lone figure stands holding a staff, while the right edge shows a figure gesturing towards the scene. The background includes stylized trees and rocky landscapes. The bronze material gives the sculpture a rich, dark brown hue with metallic highlights. The box is elevated on small rounded feet.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Medium brown patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 6.16 × 18.9 cm (2 7/16 × 7 7/16 in.)
    gross weight (approximate): 285 gr (0.628 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.60.1

Associated Artworks

See all 4 artworks
The sculpture is a relief depicting a group of figures in a horizontal panel, each carved in a linear procession. The subject involves multiple individuals, some in robes and others wearing what appears to be military attire. The sculpture is made of a dark material, likely bronze, with an aged patina. Among the figures, some are standing in profile with arms extended or interacting with others in the scene. The relief is rectangular and bordered by a simple frame, enhancing the central composition and drawing attention to the textured figures and intricately carved details that populate the scene.

Saint Simeon of Polirone in Jerusalem, Exorcising Demons from Men Possessed

Bartolomeo Spani

1516

The sculpture is a rectangular box adorned with relief carvings. The carvings depict a group of people in a classical style interacting with each other. Some figures are dressed in long robes, while others wear minimal attire or armor. The box is made of bronze, with a brown metallic appearance and areas of dark patination. The figures are carved to provide depth, with some appearing in front of or behind others, against a backdrop of vertical columns. The reliefs are detailed, showing skillful craftsmanship.

Saint Simeon of Polirone Exorcising the Daughter of the King of León

Bartolomeo Spani

1516

The sculpture is a rectangular bronze box with a relief carving on its front panel. The scene depicted on this panel includes several human figures dressed in long robes. The figures appear to be engaged in some form of interaction or narrative, with a central figure holding a staff and another figure kneeling before them. The bronze box has a dark brown patina, characteristic of aged metal, with areas of lighter highlights where the relief details are more pronounced. The box is set on four small feet.

Two Scenes from the Life of Saint Simeon of Polirone: The Miracle of the Stag (vignette) and The King of León (vignette)

1516

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his estate; purchased 1930 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York); purchased 1945 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1957 to NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1886

  • Molinier, Émile. Les Bronzes de la Renaissance. Les Plaquettes; Catalogue Raisonné. 2 vols. Paris, 1886: 2:41, no. 394, as Paduan school, Scene from the Life of a Saint.

1908

  • Migeon, Gaston. "La collection de M. Gustave Dreyfus, V: Les plaquettes." Les Arts 80 (August 1908): 29, fig. 7, as Paduan school, Scene from the Life of a Saint.

1931

  • Ricci, Seymour de. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Bronzes. Oxford, 1931: 62, no. 54-B, pl. 31, fig. 54-B, as Paduan school, Scene from the Life of a Saint, c. 1500.

1944

  • Middeldorf, Ulrich and Oswald Goetz. Medals and Plaquettes from the Sigmund Morgenroth Collection. Chicago, 1944: 36–37, no. 261, note, as Mantuan, c. 1500, [Scene from] the Life of Saint Simeon.

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: 137, repro. 39, as Paduan sixteenth century, Casket with Scenes from the Life of a Saint.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: 143–144, no. 525 (i), fig. 527, as North Italian late fifteenth or early sixteenth century, Scene from the Life of Saint Simeon of Podirolo.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 50, no. 8, as North Italian, possibly Mantuan, c. 1500, Scene from the Life of Saint Simeon of Podirolo.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 161, repro.

2001

  • Van Waveren-Hooft, Eliane. "Le Placchette con le 'Storie di San Simeone': Contesto e stile di un manufatto rinascimentale emigrato." In Piva, Paolo and Maria-Rosa Simonelli, eds. Storia di San Benedetto Polirone. L'età della soppressione. Bologna, 2001: 170–171, fig. 3, as possibly related to Bartolomeo Spani (c. 1500?).

2023

  • Calogero, Marcello. "Rediscovered drawings by Bartolomeo Spani for sculpture and goldsmithery." Burlington Magazine 165 (October 2023): 1085-1086.

Markings

This plaquette has been combined with four other plaquettes (1957.14.60.2-.5) and a plain panel to make a partially lidded box, of which this plaquette is the front long side. The plain panel serves as the bottom of the box, and on its underside are markings for each of the plaquettes. Relevant to 1957.14.60.1 are: D477 in red paint (unidentified collection), 394 in white paint (Molinier 1886) canceled by a red bar, 269 in red paint (Dreyfus), and C54 B in red paint (Ricci 1931).

Wikidata ID

Q63809305

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