Mercury and a Broken Obelisk [reverse]

c. 1545/1550

Italian 16th Century

Associated Names
The sculpture is a relief on a round medallion or medal. It features a standing nude human figure holding a staff in their left hand with a decorative end. The figure's right hand rests on a tall, rectangular slab adorned with detailed carvings or inscriptions resembling ancient scripts or symbols. The figure has a draped cloth over the head, falling down the back. The relief is made from a bronze-like material and has an aged texture. The word "INSTAURATOR" is inscribed vertically on the right side of the figure. The figure is depicted in a classical style, emphasizing human anatomy and proportions.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 6.1 cm (2 3/8 in.)
    gross weight: 88.44 gr (0.195 lb.)
    axis: 6:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.1102.b

Associated Artworks

The image features a bronze medallion portraying a man's profile. The man has a middle-aged appearance, with a pronounced forehead, short wavy hair, and is wearing a detailed garment. The bronze color with a patina finish gives it an aged look. The medallion is small, coin-like, with inscriptions encircling the perimeter, though some are obscured in shadow. The sculpture has a realistic and classical appearance, presenting the man in a regal and timeless way.

Pierio Valeriano Bolzanio, 1477-1558, Philologist and Tutor

Italian 16th Century

1545


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. 579, repro.

Inscriptions

center vertical: INSTAVRATOR

Wikidata ID

Q63851222

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