The Virgin and Child

late 15th - early 16th century

Paduan 15th or 16th Century

Associated Names
Paduan 15th Century

Sculptor

Paduan 16th Century

Sculptor

The sculpture shows a relief of a mother holding a child in her arms. The figures appear intimate, with the child facing the mother. The mother's head is inclined towards the child, both figures have halos indicating their sacred status. The background of the relief includes a simple design with clouds at the bottom. The sculpture is made from a dark golden-brown colored material, possibly bronze. An angel's face with outstretched wings adorns the top of the plaque. The plaque has an arched top with a small circular hole for hanging, suggesting it is a devotional artifact.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Medium brown patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (irregular top): 6.85 x 3.83 cm (2 11/16 x 1 1/2 in.)
    gross weight: 52.7 gr (0.116 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.391

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: 194, no. 267, pl. 81, as Venetian or Paduan.

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: 146, as Venetian.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: 90, no. 318, fig. 248, as Paduan, late fifteenth or early sixteenth century.

2011

  • Rossi, Francesco. La collezione Mario Scaglia: placchette. 3 vols. Bergamo, 2011: 1:135, under Variante C, M.9, 136 fig. e, as by an imitator of Andrea Mantegna.

Markings

Reverse bears former inventory numbers 977 in black paint (unidentified collection), 258A in red paint (Dreyfus), and 267 in yellow paint (Ricci 1931).

Wikidata ID

Q63814807

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