An Allegorical Scene

16th century

German 16th Century

Associated Names
The sculpture is a roundel relief featuring two nude figures in the center. The pair is embraced, with the left figure placing an arm around the shoulder of the right figure. The sculpture is rendered in a dark brown material, possibly bronze, providing a metallic sheen and a sense of depth in the relief. Surrounding the central figures are intricate patterns and perhaps miniature figures or elements that add complexity to the scene, framed by a circular border. The relief carvings provide a detailed and textured appearance, emphasizing the contours and musculature of the figures in the foreground, creating a contrast with the more chaotic and densely packed background.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Very dark patina

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 8 cm (3 1/8 in.) gross weight: 192 gr

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.575


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, 441.

1965

  • Pope-Hennessy, John W. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Reliefs, Plaquettes, Statuettes, Utensils and Mortars. London, 1965: no. 441.

Inscriptions

across top on scroll: NOM / DOM / INI MA / [n]E[t]IN.AE / T / RNVM H:M O.

Wikidata ID

Q63814924

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