Read the visual description
The sculpture is a coin or a medallion with a profile depiction of a man's head and upper shoulders. The man is wearing a round hat with a prominent crease and a tunic-like garment with pleats or ridges visible around the neckline. The man has a prominent nose, a slightly furrowed brow, and close-cropped, curly hair visible beneath the hat. The entire sculpture is made of bronze with a dark brown color, showcasing smooth, polished surfaces and textured patina. There is a border around the edge of the medallion featuring engraved text, possibly in Latin, which surrounds the profile of the man. The medallion has a small hole near the top. The portrait style is a traditional side profile, with the subject looking stately and dignified.
National Gallery of Art · Sculpture
Altobello Averoldo of Brescia, died 1531, Bishop of Pola, Apostolic Legate [obverse]
Maffeo Olivieri
- Date
- 1517/1521
- Medium
- bronze
- Dimensions
- overall (diameter): 9.43 cm (3 11/16 in.) gross weight: 285.01 gr (0.628 lb.) axis: 12:00
- Classification
- Sculpture · Medal/Medallion
- Accession number
- 1957.14.754.a
- Credit line
- Samuel H. Kress Collection
- Time span
- 1501 to 1550
- Department
- CSD
Subjects and terms
- Renaissance
- Medals
- bust facing right
- portrait
- Brescian
- Averoldo, Altobello
- Bishop
Provenance
(Aimé Charles) Horace His de la Salle [1795-1878], Paris; (his estate sale, Sotheby's, London, 22-25 November 1880, 1st day, no. 101); Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his heirs; purchased with the entire Dreyfus collection 9 July 1930 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris); sold 31 January 1944 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[1] gift 1957 to NGA. [1] The Duveen Brothers Records document the firm’s sixteen year pursuit and eventual acquisition of the Dreyfus collection, which included paintings, sculptures, small bronzes, medals, and plaquettes. Bequeathed as part of his estate to Dreyfus’ widow and five children (a son and four daughters), who had differing opinions about its disposition, the collection was not sold until after his widow’s death in April 1929. Duveen did not wish to separate Dreyfus’ collection of small bronzes, medals, and plaquettes, and it was sold intact to the Kress Foundation for a price that was met by installment payments every three months. (Duveen Brothers Records, accession number 960015, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles: reel 301, box 446, folders 3 and 4; reel 302, box 447, folders 1-6; reel 303, box 448, folders 1 and 2; reel 330, box 475, folder 4.) See also George Francis Hill’s discussion "A Note on Pedigrees" in his catalogue, _The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Medals_, Oxford, 1931: xii, which was commissioned by Duveen Brothers.
Inscription
around circumference: ALTOBELLVS AVEROLDVS BRIXIEN[sis] POLEN[sis] EP[iscopu]S VEN[etiae] LEG[a]T[u]S APOST[olicus]
NGA object ID 44608. 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.