Andrea Doria Guided by Neptune
c. 1541
Medium
bronze//Dark brown patina
Dimensions
overall: 8.7 x 7.5 cm (3 7/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Accession Number
1957.14.526
Art Historical Context
Behold *Andrea Doria Guided by Neptune*, a exquisite bronze plaquette crafted by Leone Leoni around 1541. This intimate sculpture, measuring just 8.7 x 7.5 cm, captures the Genoese admiral Andrea Doria— a pivotal naval commander of the Renaissance—being led by the sea god Neptune. Leoni, a master Italian sculptor and medallist who served Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, in such small-scale bronzes, blending portraiture with classical mythology to honor powerful patrons. Created during a turbulent era of European power struggles, the work reflects Doria's alliance with Charles V against French fo...
About the Artist
Leone Leoni · 1504–1590
Leone Leoni (1504–1590) was an Italian sculptor and medalist who rose to become one of the most celebrated court artists of sixteenth-century Europe, serving emperors, kings, and popes with equal distinction. Born in Menaggio on Lake Como, he trained as a goldsmith and medallist, skills that brought him to the attention of powerful patrons at a time when the portrait medal was one of the most pres...