Lodovica Tornabuoni, Daughter of Giovanni Tornabuoni [obverse]

c. 1486

Niccolò Fiorentino

Associated Names
Niccolò Fiorentino

Medalist, Florentine, 1430 - 1514

The sculpture is a bas-relief of a young woman depicted in profile facing left. She is adorned with a necklace and has intricately styled hair that falls in ringlets, covering one of her ears and flowing down her neck. The material appears to be a dark metal, likely bronze, carrying a rich, deep brown patina with slight areas of wear on the high surfaces, such as the cheekbone and the lines of her garment. The work is circular and has an inscription encircling the figure along the edge. The style is indicative of classical portraiture, with attention to elegant details and a serene expression, giving it a timeless and formal appearance against the black background.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Late cast

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 7.52 cm (2 15/16 in.)
    gross weight: 167.34 gr (0.369 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.891.a

Associated Artworks

The image shows a round, flat relief sculpture featuring a unicorn as the central subject. The unicorn is lying down with its horn extending forward. The sculpture includes a bird on a branch to the left of the unicorn. The artwork appears to be made of a dark material like bronze, with a greenish and brown patina on its surface. The circular shape and the positioning of the figures suggest it is meant to be viewed from the front.

Unicorn and Dove [reverse]

Niccolò Fiorentino

1486

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

2001

  • Virtue and Beauty: Leonardo's 'Ginevra de' Benci' and Renaissance Portraits of Women, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2001-2002, no. 10, color repro.

2010

  • Ghirlandaio y el Renacimiento en Florencia, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, 2010, no. 17.

Bibliography

1967

  • Hill, George Francis, and Graham Pollard. Renaissance Medals from the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art. London, 1967: no. 297 (Appendix).

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 334, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: LVCDOVICA DE TORNABONIS IO[annis] FI[lia]

Wikidata ID

Q63851408

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