Venus and Cupid [obverse]

late 15th century

Paduan 15th Century

Associated Names
Paduan 15th Century

Artist

The sculpture depicts two winged figures. One figure is an adult female with a wreath on her head, holding a staff. The other figure is a smaller male with wings, resembling a cupid or cherub, holding a quiver. Both figures are surrounded by a background of garland and foliage. The sculpture is a relief in rich bronze tones with dark shading.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Medium brown patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (irregular oblong): 7 x 4.4 cm (2 3/4 x 1 3/4 in.) gross weight: 82 gr

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.375.a

Associated Artworks

The sculpture depicts two figures in classical attire. The figure on the left is wearing a helmet with a crest and holding a staff with serpents coiled around it. The figure on the right is adorned with a helmet featuring a plume and is holding a spear, with a shield beside them. The figures are crafted in a relief style within a decorative border. The sculpture is predominantly brown with signs of patina, suggesting it is made of a bronze or similar metallic material, showing a textured surface. The design features a garland and shell motif at the top.

Mercury and Minerva [reverse]

Paduan 15th Century

1450

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, 251.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: no. 325.

Wikidata ID

Q63814793

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