ORThe Open Room
Digital gallery
Back to the NGA collection
The sculpture portrays a relief of a lamb with folded legs and a curled horn. Behind the lamb is a flag with a cross on a pole, all encircled by a round frame. The sculpture is made of a metallic material with a silver/pewter color, showing a weathered texture with tarnishing and signs of wear. The background has a textured pattern contrasting with the smoother depiction of the lamb and flag. The design is somewhat flat, with the subjects in low relief, making it more decorative than three-dimensional.
Read the visual description

The sculpture portrays a relief of a lamb with folded legs and a curled horn. Behind the lamb is a flag with a cross on a pole, all encircled by a round frame. The sculpture is made of a metallic material with a silver/pewter color, showing a weathered texture with tarnishing and signs of wear. The background has a textured pattern contrasting with the smoother depiction of the lamb and flag. The design is somewhat flat, with the subjects in low relief, making it more decorative than three-dimensional.

National Gallery of Art · Sculpture

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)

Italian 15th/16th Century

Date
late 15th/early 16th century
Medium
nielloed silver
Dimensions
diameter (without border): 1.7 cm (11/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture · Niello Plate
Accession number
1961.9.131
Credit line
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Time span
1401 to 1500
Department
CSD
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • Italian
  • Renaissance
Provenance

Trivulzio Collection, Milan, by 1844.[1] (Alessandro Contini Bonacossi, 1878-1955, Rome and Florence);[2] purchased 26 June 1935 by Samuel H. Kress (1863-1955), New York; gift 27 September 1950 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[3] gift 1961 to NGA. [1] Laura Aldovini, _I Nielli Trivulzio. Storia, Tecnica, Collezionismo,_ Milan, 2021:220. [2] The bill of sale included sculptures, maiolicas, furniture, antique velvets, paintings, and enamels, for a total of one hundred objects. Copy in NGA curatorial files. See also The Kress Collection Digital Archive, (https://kress.nga.gov/Detail/acquisitions/ACQ143). [3] An affidavit of 21 August 1956 by Herbert L. Spencer, executive director, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, states the Trivulzio collection of nielli and enamels were given by Samuel H. Kress to the Foundation on 27 September 1950; original in National Gallery of Art Archives. Secretary and General Counsel Records – Major Donor Files; copy in NGA curatorial files.

NGA object ID 46230. 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.