Pietro Lauro, born 1508, Modenese Poet and Scholar [obverse]

1555

Master I.A.V.F.

Associated Names
Master I.A.V.F.

Artist, Venetian, active 16th century

The sculpture is a medallion with a portrait in profile of a bearded man facing to the right. The subject appears to be mature with detailed facial features, including a prominent nose, curly hair, and a thick beard. The medallion is circular and made of bronze with an aged, golden-brown patina. There is an inscription encircling the portrait along the edge of the medallion, partially obscured in the image. The raised relief of the portrait provides a three-dimensional quality, highlighting the subject's attire and facial features in relation to the flat background.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 5.7 cm (2 1/4 in.)
    gross weight: 83.76 gr (0.185 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.1010.a

Associated Artworks

This is an image of an old medallion or coin with an inscription in Latin. The object is made of a metallic material with a brownish patina, featuring a decorative wreath motif. The inscription is engraved in a formal script, and the central focus is on the text. The medallion has a rough texture, indicating its age and potential historical importance.

Inscription in a Laurel Wreath [reverse]

Master I.A.V.F.

1555


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

1967

  • Hill, George Francis, and Graham Pollard. Renaissance Medals from the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art. London, 1967: no. 417.

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 476, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: P LVCET ALMA VIRTVS RAMIS VIRENS SEMPER C V47; lower left on truncation: I.A.V.F.

Wikidata ID

Q63851796

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