Read the visual description
The sculpture depicts a small cherubic figure seated on the back of a fish. The figure is holding onto the fish with both hands. The sculpture is made of bronze with a dark brown patina. The child's facial features are rounded and detailed, with curly hair. The fish has large eyes and prominent fins. The composition is compact, with the figure atop the fish, creating a sense of action and interaction. The bronze surface reflects light, highlighting details in the hair and scales.
National Gallery of Art · Sculpture
A Child on a Dolphin
Attributed to a Follower of Peter Flötner
- Date
- c. 1525/1550
- Medium
- bronze//Black lacquer (much rubbed on exposed areas) over light yellowish bronze
- Dimensions
- overall: 14.5 x 9 x 9.5 cm (5 11/16 x 3 9/16 x 3 3/4 in.)
- Classification
- Sculpture · Small Bronze
- Accession number
- 1957.14.42
- Credit line
- Samuel H. Kress Collection
- Time span
- 1501 to 1550
- Department
- CSD
Subjects and terms
- Child
- classical
- mythology
- Renaissance
- Nuremberg
- European Small Bronzes before 1900
- Dolphin
Provenance
Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his estate; purchased 1930 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York); purchased 1945 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1957 to NGA.
NGA object ID 43762. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.