Ornamental appliqué with tritons, dolphins, and seed-pods

possibly late 15th century

Italian 15th Century

Associated Names
The sculpture features a symmetrical design with two mermaid-like figures on each side, with flowing tails curling toward a central ornate floral element. Above this center detail are two bird-like forms, possibly stylized dolphins with open mouths facing the center. Each mermaid is posed as if holding or supporting the structure. The sculpture is crafted from a golden-colored metal with a shiny and polished finish. The intricate detailing and openwork design suggest it is decorative. The piece showcases finely rendered textures on the mermaids' hair and scales, as well as the floral and aquatic details. Overall, it is a small, highly detailed metallic artwork designed with precision and symmetry.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gilded bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (silhouetted contour): 1399 x 747.5 cm (550 13/16 x 294 5/16 in.) gross weight: 137 gr

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.137


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Stefano Bardini, Florence); (sale, Christie's, London, 26 May 1902, no. 7). 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. Reliefs and Plaquettes. Oxford, 1931. Vol.II, 13.

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, as Attributed to Donatello.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: no. 387.

2014

  • Warren, Jeremy. Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture. A Catalogue of the Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Oxford, 2014: 3:940.

Wikidata ID

Q63809632

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