Seated Figure of Fortune [reverse]

probably 1485

Niccolò Fiorentino

Associated Names
Niccolò Fiorentino

Artist, Florentine, 1430 - 1514

The image shows a round medal or coin featuring a seated figure holding an object in one hand and another object on a pedestal beside the other hand. The subject is depicted in a classical-style draped garment, with one foot resting on a small round object. The object is made from a copper-colored metal with areas of lighter coloration, showcasing a patina. The perimeter of the coin has inscriptions at the top and bottom, framing the central figure. The relief carving gives the subject a three-dimensional appearance against the flat surface of the medal.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 6.03 cm (2 3/8 in.)
    gross weight: 112.97 gr (0.249 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.855.b

Associated Artworks

The image shows a medallion with a side profile relief of an individual. The subject is depicted wearing a garment with a high collar. The facial features, such as the nose, lips, and a slightly downward gaze, are distinctly portrayed. The medallion is made from a metallic material with a warm brown coloration. The surface has texture and patina, common in aged metal artifacts. Surrounding the profile relief is an inscription following the circular edge of the medallion.

Rinaldo Orsini, d. 1510, Archibishop of Florence 1474 [obverse]

Niccolò Fiorentino

1485


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

Exhibition History

2000

  • Fortune: "All Is But Fortune", The Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C., 2000, no. 3, repro.

Bibliography

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 296, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: BENE FACERE ET LETARI; across bottom: FORT[una] RED[ux]

Wikidata ID

Q63847747

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