Diomedes and the Palladium

15th or 16th century

Florentine 15th Century

Associated Names
Florentine 15th Century

Sculptor

Florentine 16th Century

Sculptor

the Antique

Artist After

The image shows an embossed design on an oval-shaped medallion featuring a male figure seated in a reclined position. The figure is nude, with a cloth draped over one shoulder, holding what seems to be a circular object in one hand while supporting himself with the other hand placed on a branch with leaves. The medallion is crafted from bronze, with a dull golden-brown and green patina typical of aged bronze. Slight oxidization surfaces are visible on the medallion, revealing subtle texture details. The edges of the medallion are bordered with a raised, beaded pattern.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Dark brown patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 5.1 x 4.14 cm (2 x 1 5/8 in.)
    gross weight: 43.53 gr (0.096 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.161

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. Reliefs and Plaquettes. Oxford, 1931: 37, no. 37, pl. 16.

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: 143, as Florentine 15th Century.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: 75-76, no. 257, fig. 47.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 27, no. 5, repro.

1989

  • Rossi, Francesco. "Le Gemme Antiche e le Origini della Placchetta." In Italian Plaquettes. Douglas Lewis, ed. Studies in the History of Art 22, Symposium Papers 9 (1989): 60-61.

1998

  • Avery, Charles, Marzia Ratti, and Angela Acordon, eds. Sculture: bronzetti, placchette, medaglie. Museo Civico Amedeo Lia, La Spezia. [Cinisello Balsamo], 1998: 262, no. 181.

2010

  • Gennaioli, Riccardo, ed. Pregio e bellezza: cammei e intagli dei Medici. Exh. cat. Palazzo Pitti, Museo degli Argenti, Florence. Livorno, 2010: 100, no. 16.

2011

  • Rossi, Francesco. La collezione Mario Scaglia: placchette. 3 vols. Bergamo, 2011: 1:45, under Variante A, M.22.

2013

  • Leino, Marika. Fashion, Devotion and Contemplation: The Status and Functions of Italian Renaissance Plaquettes. Oxford, 2013: 82 fig. 50, 83.

Wikidata ID

Q63814731