Lily and Inscription [reverse]

c. 1480/1485

Lysippus Junior

Associated Names
Lysippus Junior

Artist, Roman, active c. 1470 - 1484

This is a photograph of an ancient coin featuring an engraved image of a plant with a tall, slender stem and small flowers budding from it. The inscriptions "FLOR. CALORE." and "ESCO PARTENII" can be seen on the coin. The background appears worn and carries a patina. The design is simple, focusing on the organic element of the plant.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Late cast

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 3.64 cm (1 7/16 in.)
    gross weight: 22.68 gr (0.05 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.811.b

Associated Artworks

The sculpture is a relief on a medallion depicting the profile of a person's head and shoulders. The individual shown is wearing a hat and has curly hair extending from underneath, a prominent nose, and lips. The medallion is circular with a dark background, made of a material resembling bronze, and has an inscription that partially reads "PARTHEMVS AMICVS."

Bartolommeo Partenio, active 1480-1485, Humanist [obverse]

Lysippus Junior

1480


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

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 248, repro.

Inscriptions

across center: FLORESCO / CALORE PARTENII

Wikidata ID

Q63847666

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