Mercury Taming Pegasus [reverse]

mid 16th century

Giovanni da Cavino

Associated Names
Giovanni da Cavino

Artist, Paduan, 1500 - 1570

This is a photograph of an ancient coin. The coin is bronze-colored and features an intricate relief sculpture. The sculpture depicts a nude figure standing next to a rearing horse, holding a staff with intertwined serpents. There are inscriptions in an ancient script around the edge of the coin. The crafting of the coin emphasizes the muscular form of the figure and the dynamic posture of the horse. The coin has a textured and somewhat worn surface.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Cast

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 3.81 cm (1 1/2 in.)
    gross weight: 20.96 gr (0.046 lb.)
    axis: 6:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.998.b

Associated Artworks

The sculpture is a profile portrait of a man with curly hair, depicted in relief. His hair is styled, and he is wearing a draped garment fastened with a brooch. It is set on a round coin with raised letters encircling the portrait. The sculpture has a golden-brown color, suggesting it is made of bronze or a similar metal. The details are well-defined, with shadows accentuating the man's features. The overall appearance is that of a classical or ancient coin, with artistic and inscriptional elements conveying historical or cultural significance.

Antinous, died A.D. 130, Favorite of the Emperor Hadrian [obverse]

Giovanni da Cavino

1525


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. 462, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference in Greek: dedicated (this coin) to the Achaeans

Wikidata ID

Q63851652

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