Mortar with Foliate Grotesques, Goats' Heads, and Ribbed Handles

mid 16th century

Italian 16th Century

Associated Names
Italian 16th Century

Artist

The sculpture is a vessel with a wide, flaring rim and two rounded handles. The surface is textured with raised relief designs featuring figures and ornamental motifs. The material appears to be a dark, metal alloy with a dull sheen. The vessel stands upright, displaying decorative embellishments that wrap around the body in repeating patterns. The craftsmanship exhibits detailed work emphasizing the three-dimensionality and symmetry of the design elements.

Media Options

Skip thumbnail navigation
Back to thumbnail navigation
This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G16

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Dark brown patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 8.1 x 11.6 cm (3 3/16 x 4 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.108

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

1931

  • Ricci, Seymour de. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Bronzes. Oxford, 1931: 116, no. 105, pl. 69.

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: 140, as Mortar ornamented with tritons and goats' heads.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: no. 576.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 126, no. 6.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 117, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q63809706

You may be interested in

Loading Results