François I, 1494-1547, King of France 1515 [obverse]

1515 or after

Attributed to Giovanni Maria Pomedelli

Associated Names
Giovanni Maria Pomedelli

Artist, Veronese, 1478/1479 - 1537

The sculpture is a detailed profile relief of a man depicted facing right. He wears a hat with a decorative element, possibly feathers, and attire that includes a visible collar and draping. The material is bronze, giving a brownish hue with hints of tarnish. The sculpture is on a round medallion with an inscription along the perimeter.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Not contemporary cast

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 4.8 cm (1 7/8 in.)
    gross weight: 43.24 gr (0.095 lb.)
    axis: 6:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.776.a

Associated Artworks

This is a photograph of a coin depicting a seated figure with an orb and a flame. The coin shows a classical figure seated, possibly on a throne, holding an orb in one hand and a flame in the other. The coin's surface has a textured appearance. Around the edge of the coin are inscriptions. The figure's limbs, hair, and drapery show intricate detailing. The whole coin is set against a plain backdrop.

Seated Diomedes Holding the Palladium [reverse]

Giovanni Maria Pomedelli

1515

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: 2:187, no. 5.

1930

  • Hill, George Francis. A Corpus of Italian Medals of the Renaissance before Cellini. 2 vols. London, 1930: no. 600.

1931

  • Hill, George Francis. The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Medals. Oxford, 1931: no. 183.

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: 173.

1967

  • Hill, George Francis, and Graham Pollard. Renaissance Medals from the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art. London, 1967: no. 183.

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 207, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: FR[ancisco] FR[ancorum] REGI VICTORI MAX[imo] AC VINDICI OPT[imo]

Wikidata ID

Q63847657

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