Goldsmiths' Ornaments [reverse]

1496 or after

Bartolommeo Melioli

Associated Names
Bartolommeo Melioli

Artist, Mantuan, 1448 - 1514

The sculpture is a round medal with a central abstract silhouette-like form resembling the outline of a head and shoulders without distinct facial features. Surrounding this form are embossed plant-like motifs and circular floral patterns with intricate decorative details. The piece is made from a bronze-colored metal, giving it an aged appearance. The front side has a small hole near the top, and the overall look is stylized and possibly symbolic, conveying a sense of ornamental and artistic expression.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 5.88 cm (2 5/16 in.)
    gross weight: 54.22 gr (0.12 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.662.b

Associated Artworks

The sculpture is a circular relief medallion featuring the profile of a woman wearing a detailed headdress, with her gaze directed to the side. The subject's attire and the intricate details of the headdress are depicted in a way that suggests a historical or classical period style. The color of the medallion is predominantly brownish, indicative of bronze or a similar metal. The woman is engraved against a flat background, allowing for her features and attire to stand out distinctly. Surrounding the figure is an inscription that follows the circular shape of the sculpture. The medallion also has a small hole near the top edge.

Chiara Gonzaga, 1464-1503, Wife of Gilbert de Bourbon 1481 [obverse]

Bartolommeo Melioli

1496


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Possibly (Aimé Charles) Horace His de la Salle [1795-1878], Paris; (his estate sale, Sotheby's, London, 22-25 November 1880, 1st day, no. 8); Joseph Fau, Paris; (his sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 3-8 March 1884, no. 563); 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

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 108, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q63847451

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