The sculpture depicts a human figure standing in a frontal pose with legs slightly apart, holding a bow in the left hand and a quiver of arrows in the right. The figure is nude and has distinct feminine features, such as breasts and flowing hair. The sculpture is crafted in a relief style within an oval frame with a braided or rope-like pattern along its edge. The material appears to be a type of metal with a worn, aged patina, displaying a base color of dark bronze or brownish-gold with areas where the metal’s natural color or polishing highlights shine through. The figure is rendered in a rough and textured manner, giving it an ancient and rustic appearance.
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The sculpture depicts a human figure standing in a frontal pose with legs slightly apart, holding a bow in the left hand and a quiver of arrows in the right. The figure is nude and has distinct feminine features, such as breasts and flowing hair. The sculpture is crafted in a relief style within an oval frame with a braided or rope-like pattern along its edge. The material appears to be a type of metal with a worn, aged patina, displaying a base color of dark bronze or brownish-gold with areas where the metal’s natural color or polishing highlights shine through. The figure is rendered in a rough and textured manner, giving it an ancient and rustic appearance.

National Gallery of Art · Sculpture

An Amazon

North Italian 16th Century

Date
c. 1500
Medium
bronze//Greyish patina
Dimensions
overall (oval): 6.7 x 4.15 cm (2 5/8 x 1 5/8 in.) gross weight: 61.97 gr (0.137 lb.)
Classification
Sculpture · Plaquette
Accession number
1957.14.421
Credit line
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Time span
1401 to 1500
Department
CSD

Subjects and terms

  • classical
  • mythology
  • Renaissance
  • Renaissance Plaquettes
  • North Italian
  • Amazon
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.

Marks

Reverse bears former inventory numbers 374 in black ink (unidentified collection), 8[?]0 (mostly effaced) in red paint (Dreyfus), and 297 in yellow paint (Ricci 1931).

NGA object ID 44147. 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.