Ippolita di Ferdinando Gonzaga, 1535-1563 [obverse]

1550

Leone Leoni

Associated Names
Leone Leoni

Artist, Milanese, c. 1509 - 1590

The sculpture features a profile portrait of a woman in elaborate attire and detailed jewelry. Her hair is intricately styled. The sculpture is made from a bronze-like material with a rich, reddish-brown color. Surrounding the portrait is an inscription, possibly identifying the subject. The sculpture is depicted as a medallion or coin with a dot-patterned border and a small hole at the top. The relief work shows detailed features like the texture of the fabric and realistic representation of the woman.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze//Late cast

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 6.14 cm (2 7/16 in.)
    gross weight: 41.61 gr (0.092 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.1026.a

Associated Artworks

The sculpture depicts a relief on a round medallion featuring a female figure dressed in flowing garments that suggest movement, as she reaches out with her right arm in a gesture. The medallion is crafted from a bronze or copper material, with a warm, brownish hue typical of aged metal. Around the figure are items associated with learning and science, including an armillary sphere on a pedestal, various written materials, and instruments like a compass or divider. The edge of the medallion is bordered with a pattern of small dots, and there is a hole at the top. The scene has a classical aesthetic, reminiscent of Renaissance or antique styles, and includes inscriptions along the border of the medallion.

Ippolita as Urania Looking at a Crown of Stars [reverse]

Leone Leoni

1550

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. 433 (Appendix).

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 496, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: HIPPOLITA GONZAGA FERDINANDI FIL[ia] AET[atis] AN[no] XV

Wikidata ID

Q63851774

You may be interested in

Loading Results