The Adoration of the Magi

Giovanni Bernardi

Associated Names
Giovanni Bernardi

Sculptor, Bolognese, 1494 - 1553

The sculpture depicts several figures gathered around a central focal point. A seated woman holds a child on her lap, receiving gifts from other figures. The figures are detailed, showing attire, facial features, and objects. The sculpture is a deep blue color, possibly glass or enamel, within a gold frame. The scene includes an engraved roof with a star. The relief sculpture is small and delicately crafted, with an attached loop at the top.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    glass

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (rectanglular w/ arched top): 9.8 x 7.2 cm (3 7/8 x 2 13/16 in.) gross weight: 44 gr

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.512

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, 254, no. 378, pl. 108.

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: 157.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: 14, no. 30, fig. 376.

1974

  • Bascapé, Giacomo C. "Medaglie, plachette, sigilli con le figure dei Magi." Arte Lombarda 19:41 (1974): 26-29, fig. 7 bis.

  • Rossi, Francesco. Musei Civici di Brescia. Cataloghi: I. Placchette, secoli XV-XIX. Vincenza, 1974:, 72, no. 99, note.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 100, no. 12, repro.

1989

  • Donati 1989, 206, note.

  • Banzato, Davide, and Franca Pellegrini. Bronzi e placchette dei Musei civici di Padova. Padua, 1989: 121, no. 113, note.

2014

  • Warren, Jeremy. Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture. A Catalogue of the Collection in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Oxford, 2014: 3:792.

Wikidata ID

Q63814994

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