Coriolanus and the Women of Rome

Art Historical Context

This small bronze plaque captures a dramatic moment in low relief, with a group of women and children gathered on the left, their draped garments and expressive gestures suggesting urgency and emotion. A central female figure reaches toward a standing man in classical attire, while another figure stands near a canopy-like structure on the right. The entire scene is rendered in fine detail on the rectangular surface, which bears a warm medium-brown patina that highlights the raised forms against the darker recessed areas. The work illustrates the legendary encounter from Roman history in which the exiled general Coriolanus is implored by his mother, wife, and the women of Rome to spare his city from attack. Created between 1401 and 1500 by the artist known as the Master of Coriolanus, the plaque reflects the Renaissance interest in classical narratives and moral themes drawn from ancient texts. Its intimate scale—measuring just over four centimeters wide—suggests it may have been made as a personal devotional or decorative object, inviting close viewing of its finely modeled figures.