Nude Youth Lying before a Rock [reverse]

c. 1441/1450

Pisanello

Associated Names
Pisanello

Artist, Veronese, c. 1395 - 1455

The sculpture is a round medallion featuring a raised relief of a reclining nude male figure lying against a rocky or organic backdrop. Above him is an urn, which is prominently featured at the top center of the medallion, with some foliage emanating from it. The relief is bordered by an inscribed edge reading "PISANI PICTORIS OPVS." The sculpture is made from a material resembling bronze, displaying a rich, reddish-brown hue with a slightly weathered texture that gives it an aged appearance. Its size relative to human scale is small, like a coin or medallion.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 7.9 cm (3 1/8 in.)
    gross weight: 110.52 gr (0.244 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.601.b

Associated Artworks

The sculpture is a circular medallion featuring the profile of a man facing left. The man's face is detailed with curly hair and a strong jawline. The medallion is made from a material that appears to be bronze, with a reddish-brown coloration and a slightly weathered patina. Surrounding the profile is an inscription in raised relief that encircles the edge of the medallion. The round shape and size suggest it might be a commemorative piece or a personal emblem.

Leonello d'Este, 1407-1450, Marquess of Ferrara 1441 [obverse]

Pisanello

1441

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his heirs; purchased with the entire Dreyfus collection 9 July 1930 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris); sold 31 January 1944 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[1] gift 1957 to NGA.
[1] The Duveen Brothers Records document the firm’s sixteen year pursuit and eventual acquisition of the Dreyfus collection, which included paintings, sculptures, small bronzes, medals, and plaquettes. Bequeathed as part of his estate to Dreyfus’ widow and five children (a son and four daughters), who had differing opinions about its disposition, the collection was not sold until after his widow’s death in April 1929. Duveen did not wish to separate Dreyfus’ collection of small bronzes, medals, and plaquettes, and it was sold intact to the Kress Foundation for a price that was met by installment payments every three months. (Duveen Brothers Records, accession number 960015, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles: reel 301, box 446, folders 3 and 4; reel 302, box 447, folders 1-6; reel 303, box 448, folders 1 and 2; reel 330, box 475, folder 4.) See also George Francis Hill’s discussion "A Note on Pedigrees" in his catalogue, The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Medals, Oxford, 1931: xii, which was commissioned by Duveen Brothers.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2000

  • The Gualenghi-d'Este Hours: Art and Devotion in Renaissance Ferrara, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2000, brochure.

Bibliography

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 9, repro.

Inscriptions

around top circumference in sunk band: PISANI PICTORIS OPVS

Wikidata ID

Q63815152

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