Allegorical Figure
c. 1500
Medium
bronze//Medium brown patina
Dimensions
overall (diameter): 5.5 cm (2 3/16 in.) gross weight: 61 gr
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1957.14.415
Art Historical Context
This small bronze plaquette, created by an anonymous North Italian artist around 1500, exemplifies the Renaissance revival of classical themes and humanist ideals. Titled simply *Allegorical Figure*, the work likely depicts a symbolic personification—common in the period to represent virtues, seasons, or mythological concepts—rendered in a compact, circular format suited for private contemplation or collection. North Italian workshops during this era flourished under the patronage of courts and scholars who valued such portable objects as bridges between ancient Roman coinage and contemporary ...