Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo, 1538-1600, Milanese Painter and Theorist [obverse]

1560s

Annibale Fontana

Associated Names
Annibale Fontana

Artist, Milanese, 1540 - 1587

The sculpture depicts a young male in profile with curly hair and a subtle expression, facing left. It is in the form of a medallion or relief, made from a bronze-colored material. The sculpture has a dark, antique finish, highlighting the contours and features of the face. The circular relief is bordered with small bead-like patterns and includes an inscription around the perimeter. The medallion is relatively flat, with details of the face and clothing raised to various degrees, providing depth and shadows.

Media Options

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On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G16


Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 5.1 cm (2 in.)
    gross weight: 39.5 gr (0.087 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.1036.a

Associated Artworks

The image shows a circular medal featuring three human figures in relief. The central figure is male, flanked by two other figures. The figures are detailed with flowing garments and dynamic poses. The sculpture is made of a metallic-looking material with a dark patina and areas where the underlying material shines through. The medal has a beaded border and inscriptions around the edge, with a small hole near the top. The craftsmanship suggests a carefully molded and designed piece capturing its subjects in a detailed composition.

Lomazzo Bowing to Mercury and Fortune [reverse]

Annibale Fontana

1560


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

1953

  • Renaissance Portraits, Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, 1953, no cat.

2000

  • The Power of Appearances: Renaissance and Reformation Portrait Prints, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, 2000, no cat.

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. 443.

1983

  • Wilson, Carolyn C. Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1983: 135, no. 32.

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 1:no. 509, repro.

2025

  • Bearden, Elizabeth B. Crip Authority. Disability and the Art of Consolation in the Renaissance. Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2025:221, fig. 5.

Inscriptions

around circumference: IO[annes] PAVLVS LOMATIVS PIC[tor]

Wikidata ID

Q63851076

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