ORThe Open Room
Digital gallery
Back to the NGA collection
The sculpture depicts a bird standing on one foot atop a spherical object. Crafted from dark, metallic material, the sculpture shows varied textures and reflects light differently on its smooth versus textured areas. The bird is perched on a dark wooden pedestal with a cylindrical base. The sculpture captures the intricate details of the bird's plumage and posture.
Read the visual description

The sculpture depicts a bird standing on one foot atop a spherical object. Crafted from dark, metallic material, the sculpture shows varied textures and reflects light differently on its smooth versus textured areas. The bird is perched on a dark wooden pedestal with a cylindrical base. The sculpture captures the intricate details of the bird's plumage and posture.

National Gallery of Art · Sculpture

A Bird

Probably Florentine 16th Century

Date
late 16th century
Medium
bronze//Dark patina
Dimensions
overall: 11.2 x 4.7 x 7.6 cm (4 7/16 x 1 7/8 x 3 in.)
Classification
Sculpture · Small Bronze
Accession number
1957.14.85
Credit line
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Time span
1501 to 1550
Department
CSD
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • Florentine
  • bird
  • animal
  • Renaissance
  • Bird
  • European Small Bronzes before 1900
Provenance

Eugène Piot [1812-1890], Paris; (his sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 21-24 May 1890, 2nd day, no. 35, as Italian School, 16th century). Mme. Léon Gauchez; (her sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 20-23 April 1892, no. 113). Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his estate; purchased 1930 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York); purchased 1944 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York; gift 1957 to NGA.

NGA object ID 43805. 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.