Vittorino de' Rambaldoni da Feltre, 1379-1446, Humanist [obverse]

c. 1446

Pisanello

Associated Names
Pisanello

Artist, Veronese, c. 1395 - 1455

The sculpture is a round medallion featuring the profile of a man facing to the left. The subject is depicted wearing a voluminous hat that wraps around the head and extends upward, as well as a garment with a high collar. The medallion is dark brown in color. The surface is slightly reflective. The edges of the medallion are inscribed with text. There is a small hole at the top of the medallion. The medallion appears to be a flat, circular form with a relief of the figure and inscriptions carved into it.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G16

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 6.7 cm (2 5/8 in.)
    gross weight: 113.22 gr (0.25 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.610.a

Associated Artworks

The sculpture on this medallion-like form depicts an eagle tending to its nest, with outspread wings and a protective stance over the nestlings. The sculpture is crafted from a material that gives it a metallic appearance, likely bronze, which features a reddish-brown hue with hints of oxidation or patination in certain areas. The embossed eagle and text encircle on the outer edge of the medallion, creating a clear relief against the flat background. The sculpture exhibits intricate detailing on the eagle's feathers and the texture of the nest. Surrounding the eagle are engraved words, likely in Latin.

Pelican in Her Piety [reverse]

Pisanello

1446

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Aimé Charles) Horace His de la Salle [1795-1878], Paris; (his estate sale, Sotheby's, London, 22-25 November 1880, 1st day, no. 24); 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

Bibliography

1883

  • Armand, Alfred. Les médailleurs italiens des quinzième et seizième siècles. 2nd ed. 3 vols. Paris, 1883-1887: 1:8, no. 24.

1908

  • Migeon, Gaston. "La collection de M. Gustave Dreyfus, V: Les plaquettes." Les Arts 80 (August 1908): 7, no. xi.

1930

  • Hill, George Francis. A Corpus of Italian Medals of the Renaissance before Cellini. 2 vols. London, 1930: no. 38.

1931

  • Hill, George Francis. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Medals. Oxford, 1931: no. 18.

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: 162.

1966

  • Pope-Hennessy, John. The Portrait in the Renaissance. London and New York, 1966: 70-71, repro.

1967

  • Hill, George Francis, and Graham Pollard. Renaissance Medals from the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art. London, 1967: no. 18.

1971

  • Baxandall, Michael. Giotto and the Orators. London, 1971: 127-128, repro. plate 9A.

1972

  • Chiarelli, R. L'Opera completa di Pisanello. Milan, 1972: no. 113.

1981

  • Splendours of the Gonzaga. Exh. cat. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1981:109, no. 14.

1983

  • De Lorenzi, Giovanna. Medaglie di Pisanello e della sua cerchia. Museo del Bargello, Florence, 1983: no. 14.

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 19, no. 10.

1984

  • Pollard, John Graham. Italian Renaissance Medals in the Museo Nazionale of Bargello. 3 vols. Florence, 1984: no. 15.

1994

  • Scher, Stephen K. In The Currency of Fame. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington,The Frick Collection, New York, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1994-1995:53-54, no. 8.

1996

  • Rugolo, Ruggero. "Medaglie." In Puppi, Leonelli. Pisanello. Una poetica dell'inatteso. Milan, 1996:173-174, no. 17.

  • Cordellier, Dominique, et. al. Pisanello. Exh. cat. Musée du Louvre, 1996: 404-405, nos. 279, 280 [entries by Sylvie de Turckheim-Pey].

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 18, repro.

2020

  • Malgouyres, Philippe. De Filarete à Riccio. Bronzes italiens de la Renaissance (1430-1550). La collection du musée du Louvre. Paris, 2020: 59.

Inscriptions

around circumference: VICTORINVS FELTRENSIS SVMMVS

Wikidata ID

Q63815186

You may be interested in

Loading Results