Allegory of Fortune: Man Holding Fortune by her Forelock

c. 1500

North Italian 16th Century

Associated Names
North Italian 16th Century

Artist

The image displays a round bronze sculpture with a relief depicting a scene involving three human figures. Two of the figures are standing, and one is sitting, with all three seemingly interacting with each other. This circular relief is placed at the center of a disc and is surrounded by an ornate border featuring floral and scroll patterns. The bronze sculpture has a warm, aged patina, giving it a combination of brown and greenish tints. The scene within the central relief appears to capture the figures in mid-gesture, providing a sense of movement and interaction between them. The intricate details of the figures' clothing and the ornate border emphasize the skill and craftsmanship involved in creating this piece.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Medium brown patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter with rim): 6.2 cm (2 7/16 in.) gross weight: 65 gr

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.417

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

1886

  • Molinier, Émile. Les Bronzes de la Renaissance. Les Plaquettes; Catalogue Raisonné. 2 vols. Paris, 1886:, 2:85, no. 492.

1908

  • Migeon, Gaston. "La collection de M. Gustave Dreyfus, V: Les plaquettes." Les Arts 80 (August 1908): 31, fig. 13.

1931

  • Ricci, Seymour de. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection. Reliefs and Plaquettes. Oxford, 1931. vol. II, 207, no. 293, pl. 87.

1951

  • National Gallery of Art. Renaissance Bronzes: Statuettes, Reliefs and Plaquettes, Medals and Coins from the Kress Collection. Introduction by Perry B. Cott. Washington, 1951: 147.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: 87-88, no. 306, fig. 261.

1998

  • Bekker, Gerd. Europäische Plaketten und Medaillen vom 15. bis zum 18. Jahrhundert. Leipzig, 1998: 38.

Inscriptions

upper center on scroll: LA / EN / TVR

Wikidata ID

Q63814830

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