Catherine de' Medici, 1519-1559, Wife of Henri II of France 1533

16th century

French 16th Century

Associated Names
The sculpture depicts a woman in a high-relief fashion, with her head and shoulders prominently featured. The subject's hair is styled intricately and she wears a garment adorned with textures and possibly jewels. The sculpture is a circular plaque or medallion format, evident from the curved edges and circular shape. It is made from a grayish-brown material, likely bronze or a similar metal, showing wear and patina. Around the edge of the medallion, there is an inscription that reads "CATERINA .EGINA FRANCIA." The relief gives the piece a dimensional quality, allowing the figure to stand out slightly from the flat background. The piece is small, fitting comfortably in the palm of a hand.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    lead//Cast hollow

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 9.28 cm (3 5/8 in.)
    gross weight: 107.99 gr (0.238 lb.)

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.1142


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. 547.

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 2:no. 628, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: CATERINA [R]EGINA FRANCIAE

Wikidata ID

Q63851298

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