Provenance

Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein

1906 - 1989

Explore selected works

See all 14 works of art
Shown from the thighs up, a woman and two children are carved in high and low relief on this white marble, vertically oriented rectangular panel. The woman’s body faces us, but she cranes her neck sharply to look up and to our left. She has rounded features and wears a veil that drapes over her head and long robe. She holds up a scroll carved with the word “CHARITAS” in her right hand, to our left, and wraps her other hand around the shoulders of two small children in the lower right. The children face her and tip their heads back, and they appear to drink streams of liquid coming from a flame-shape on her chest. The trio are enclosed in a quatrefoil shape, which has lobes at each corner separated by points along each edge. Stepped molding frames the quatrefoil.
Giovanni di Balduccio, Charity, c. 1330, marble, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1960.5.4

Charity

Giovanni di Balduccio · c. 1330 · marble ·  Accession ID  1960.5.4

A freestanding, winged angel with a halo is carved from white marble streaked with gray. In this view, the angel’s body faces us, and the head turns slightly to our left. Curls frame a round face with delicate features in front of a flat, plate-like halo. The angel’s long robe is pinned at the chest, tied around the waist, and falls in thick folds into puddles around the feet. The angel holds one hand up with the first two fingers raised and holds a scroll down by the hip with the other hand. One pointed shoe peeks from under the robe, which almost covers the round base on which the angel stands. The sculpture is photographed against a pale gray background.
Venetian 14th Century, Angel of the Annunciation, c. 1340, marble, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1960.5.10

Angel of the Annunciation

Venetian 14th Century · c. 1340 · marble ·  Accession ID  1960.5.10

The sculpture depicts a dual-faced figure. One side shows a young, beardless individual and the other a mature, bearded figure. The figure is clothed in a flowing robe that drapes to the ground. The folds of the garment suggest movement. The sculpture is made from a pale, cream-colored stone, likely marble, giving it a smooth appearance. The figure holds an object in its hands, perhaps a key or a bowl. The sculpture is lifelike in size with attention to details such as hair and facial expressions.
Bonino da Campione, Prudence, c. 1357, marble, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1960.5.6

Prudence

Bonino da Campione · c. 1357 · marble ·  Accession ID  1960.5.6

Pisan 14th Century, Angel with Symphonia, c. 1360, marble, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1960.5.14

Angel with Symphonia

Pisan 14th Century · c. 1360 · marble ·  Accession ID  1960.5.14

Benedetto da Maiano, Madonna and Child, c. 1475, marble, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1960.5.16

Madonna and Child

Benedetto da Maiano · c. 1475 · marble ·  Accession ID  1960.5.16

A laurel branch to the left and a palm branch to the right, both in muted green tones, curve toward each other, crossing near the top to frame a sprig of spiky juniper in this square painting. A scroll with the Latin words “VIRTVUTEM FORMA DECORAT” weaves around and across the circle made by the branches near the bottom of the composition. The laurel has slightly serrated, oblong leaves that come to a point at either end. The palm has closely packed, narrow leaves that flare out like a feather to our right. The laurel, palm, and delicate twig of juniper are cut off near the bottom edge, where there is an area of flat brown that rises like a mound at the middle and tapers to each side. The rest of the background is dark brown speckled with rose pink, and a crimson-red, round seal is pressed into the top right corner.
Leonardo da Vinci, Wreath of Laurel, Palm, and Juniper with a Scroll inscribed Virtutem Forma Decorat [reverse], c. 1474/1478, tempera on panel, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1967.6.1.b

Wreath of Laurel, Palm, and Juniper with a Scroll inscribed Virtutem Forma Decorat [reverse]

Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1474/1478 · tempera on panel ·  Accession ID  1967.6.1.b

Bonino da Campione, Justice, c. 1357, marble, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1960.5.5

Justice

Bonino da Campione · c. 1357 · marble ·  Accession ID  1960.5.5

This square portrait shows the head and shoulders of a young woman in front of a spiky bush that fills much of the background except for a landscape view that extends into the deep distance to our right. The woman's body is angled to our right but her face turns to us. She has chalk-white, smooth skin with heavily lidded, light brown eyes, and her pale pink lips are closed. Pale blush highlights her cheeks, and she looks either at us or very slightly away from our eyes. Her brown hair is parted down the middle and pulled back, but tight, lively curls frame her face. Her hair turns gold where the light shines on it. She wears a brown dress, trimmed along the square neckline with gold. The front of the bodice is tied with a blue ribbon, and the lacing holes are also edged with gold. A sheer white veil covers her chest and is pinned at the center with a small gold ball. The bush fills the space around her head with copper-brown, spiky leaves. A river winds between trees and rolling hills in the distance to our right. Trees and a town along the horizon, which comes about halfway up the painting, is pale blue under an ice-blue sky.
Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra de' Benci [obverse], c. 1474/1478, oil on panel, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1967.6.1.a

Ginevra de' Benci [obverse]

Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1474/1478 · oil on panel ·  Accession ID  1967.6.1.a

Facing away from us, a young woman with pale skin, wearing a golden yellow gown, leans her head down toward the lute she holds nearly upright in her lap in this horizontal painting. She sits near the right edge of the painting so her body faces the table beyond her, to our left. Her body is angled away from us but she turns her head so we see her in profile, facing our left. She tips her head to put her ear next to the lute, and she looks down and off to our left with brown eyes under thin, slightly arched brows. She has a straight nose, smooth, flushed cheeks, and her coral-pink lips are closed. Her dark blond hair is parted down the middle and pulled back under long braids looped around the back and over the top of her head. Light reflects off her hair and off the short, loose strands near the ear we can see. Her long yellow dress has a full skirt. The stiff bodice is laced up the sides and hooks over the shoulders, over a voluminous, bright white blouse. The sleeve we can see is pushed up over her forearm. Her seat is draped in crimson-red, velvety fabric. She holds the neck of the lute up high with her left hand, her fingers pressing the strings, so she brings the rounded body of the instrument up to her ear. In front of her, the table is draped with fringed, olive-green fabric. A violin made with blond wood lies on the table with the neck stretching toward us. There is also the violin bow and at least three wooden recorders on the table. One book of music is open so the pages fall over the edge of the table, near the woman. One other book of music at the back of the table is held open with a recorder. The feet of the table and the ankles of the woman are cut off by the bottom edge of the painting. The background is dark, earth brown except for a diagonal shaft of light across the top left corner of the composition, presumably from a high window in the wall out of our view.
Orazio Gentileschi, The Lute Player, c. 1612/1620, oil on canvas, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1962.8.1

The Lute Player

Orazio Gentileschi · c. 1612/1620 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1962.8.1

Pisan 14th Century, Angel with Tambourine, c. 1360, marble, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1960.5.15

Angel with Tambourine

Pisan 14th Century · c. 1360 · marble ·  Accession ID  1960.5.15