Bust of Christ

15th century

North Italian 15th Century

Associated Names
North Italian 15th Century

Artist

The sculpture shows a man in profile with long hair and a beard, wearing robes. He is surrounded by a halo with intricate linear patterns. Above his head is a design with a cherub and two circular motifs with faces. The letters "INRI" are on either side of his neck. The sculpture is made of a bronze-colored material, with dark areas accentuating the features. The rectangular plaque has a framed border and a loop for hanging.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Medium brown patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (without suspension loop): 9.3 x 6.76 cm (3 11/16 x 2 11/16 in.)
    overall (height with suspension loop): 10.02 cm (3 15/16 in.)
    gross weight: 222.54 gr (0.491 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.405

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: 203, no. 281, pl. 85, as northern Italy, fifteenth century.

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: 147, as northern Italian, fifteenth century.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: 80, no. 277, fig. 31, as Roman, second half of the fifteenth century.

2006

  • Bergbauer, Bertrand and Catherine Chédeau. Images en relief: La collection de plaquettes du Musée National de la Renaissance. Paris, 2006: 76.

2011

  • Rossi, Francesco. La collezione Mario Scaglia: placchette. 3 vols. Bergamo, 2011: 1:84, under Prototipo, M.12, as school of Filarete.

Inscriptions

across lower field: I[ESUS].N[AZARENUS] / R[EX] I[UDEORVM] (Jesus of Nazareth, "King of the Jews")[1]

Wikidata ID

Q63814822