The Sacrifice of a Swine

Andrea Briosco, called Riccio

Associated Names
Andrea Briosco, called Riccio

Sculptor, Paduan, 1470 - 1532

The sculpture depicts numerous human figures carved in relief. The figures are gathered closely together in an intimate setting, some dressed in robes and others in draped clothing. The material appears to be dark bronze with a reddish-brown patina. The figures are detailed, showing folds in clothing, expressions on faces, and architectural elements in the background. The composition is symmetrical, with figures arranged around a central point, creating depth and complexity.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 7.78 × 9.35 cm (3 1/16 × 3 11/16 in.)
    gross weight: 201.93 gr (0.445 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.265

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. vol.II, 141.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: no. 217.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 78, no. 8.

1989

  • Sturman, Shelley and Berrie, Barbara. "Technical Examination of Riccio Plaquettes." Studies in the History of Art 22 (1989):183-184, 186-187, repro.

2006

  • Leino, Marika. "Italian Renaissance plaquettes and Lombard architectural monuments." Arte Lombarda nuova serie 146/148, 1-3 (2006): 115, fig. 10.

  • Bergbauer, Bertrand and Catherine Chédeau. Images en relief: La collection de plaquettes du Musée National de la Renaissance. Paris, 2006: 73.

2008

  • Bacchi, Andrea and Luciana Giacomelli, eds Rinascimento e passione per l'antico: Andrea Riccio e il suo tempo. Exh. cat. Castello di Buonconsiglio. Trento, 2008: 438.

2013

  • Leino, Marika. Fashion, Devotion and Contemplation: The Status and Functions of Italian Renaissance Plaquettes. Oxford, 2013: 97 fig. 63, 98.

Inscriptions

in reverse and in intaglio, etched in a tightly controlled technique of dots: R[A?] / C (Riccio [or Andrea?] Crispus)

Markings

Reverse bears earlier-style NGA accession number in red paint.

Wikidata ID

Q63814704

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