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The image shows a sculpture of two dolphins facing outward from the center where they meet at their snouts. Between them is a scallop shell. The sculpture is metallic and finished with a gold color. The dolphins have detailed features including eyes and open mouths. The design is symmetrical, with the dolphins' tails curling upwards and forming ornate scroll-like shapes. The golden color accentuates the forms and details of the sculpture against a dark background.
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The image shows a sculpture of two dolphins facing outward from the center where they meet at their snouts. Between them is a scallop shell. The sculpture is metallic and finished with a gold color. The dolphins have detailed features including eyes and open mouths. The design is symmetrical, with the dolphins' tails curling upwards and forming ornate scroll-like shapes. The golden color accentuates the forms and details of the sculpture against a dark background.

National Gallery of Art · Sculpture

Appliqué in the Form of Paired Dolphins on a Scallop Shell

Italian 16th Century

Date
16th century
Medium
gilded bronze//gilding rubbed above eyes and on upper part of shell
Dimensions
overall: 13 x 27.3 cm (5 1/8 x 10 3/4 in.)
Classification
Sculpture · Applique
Accession number
1957.14.124
Credit line
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Time span
1401 to 1500
Department
CSD
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • Italian
  • mammal
  • animal
  • Renaissance
  • European Small Bronzes before 1900
  • Dolphin
Provenance

Santa Maria Novella, Florence.[1] Eugène de Miller Aichholz, Vienna; (his sale, Galeries Georges Petit, Paris, 18-22 May 1900, no. 34 [pair with NGA 1957.14.123]); 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. [1] According to the 1900 sale catalogue of the Eugène de Miller Aiccholz collection.

NGA object ID 43844. 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.