Portrait of a Woman [obverse]

first quarter 16th century

Giovanni Maria Pomedelli

Associated Names
Giovanni Maria Pomedelli

Artist, Veronese, 1478/1479 - 1537

The sculpture is a circular medal featuring a profile relief of a person with shoulder-length wavy hair. The subject is shown facing left and is depicted wearing a garment with visible braided trim or ornamental detail. The medal is made of bronze, giving it a dark golden-brown color, with some areas showing a shinier patina due to the material's reflective qualities. Around the edge of the medal, there is an inscription in capital letters, indicating words in what appears to be Latin. The top edge of the medal has a small hole.

Media Options

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On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G16

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 5.41 cm (2 1/8 in.)
    gross weight: 61.17 gr (0.135 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.773.a

Associated Artworks

The sculpture is a circular medal depicting two figures in relief. On the left, a bearded man is kneeling with one knee on the ground, holding a basket of fruits and vines. On the right, a partially draped child stands with one foot on a globe, wings visible behind them, holding a small bundle. The material is bronze with a dark metallic sheen. Decorative elements surround the scene, and the perimeter is inscribed with text: "IOANNES MARIA POMELLVS VERONESE." The sculpture is small, comparable in size to a large coin or medallion.

Kneeling Man with Cupid [reverse]

Giovanni Maria Pomedelli

1500

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

Bibliography

1883

  • Armand, Alfred. Les médailleurs italiens des quinzième et seizième siècles. 2nd ed. 3 vols. Paris, 1883-1887: 1:129, no. 13.

1908

  • Migeon, Gaston. "La collection de M. Gustave Dreyfus, V: Les plaquettes." Les Arts 80 (August 1908): 12, no. 1.

1930

  • Hill, George Francis. A Corpus of Italian Medals of the Renaissance before Cellini. 2 vols. London, 1930: no. 594 g.

1931

  • Hill, George Francis. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Medals. Oxford, 1931: no. 180.

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: 172.

1967

  • Hill, George Francis, and Graham Pollard. Renaissance Medals from the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art. London, 1967: no. 180.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 62, no. 2.

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 204, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: F.B.ET LONGIVS VIVAT SERVATA FIDE

Wikidata ID

Q63847650

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