Portrait of a lady
18th century
Medium
Medallion: cast terracotta (terre de Chaumont); frame: gilt wood
Dimensions
Diameter: 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Miniature
Culture
French, Chaumont-sur-Loire
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of James Hazen Hyde, 1949
Accession Number
49.20.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate medallion, created by Jean-Baptiste Nini in 18th-century France, captures the refined elegance of its subject through a profile view. Measuring just over six inches across, the cast terracotta relief is set within an ornate gilt-wood frame, inviting close inspection. Nini, working in Chaumont-sur-Loire, specialized in such intimate portrait sculptures that blended classical ideals with contemporary taste. The choice of terre de Chaumont—a fine local clay prized for its smooth texture—allowed the artist to achieve remarkable detail in the sitter’s features and hairstyle. These mi...
About the Artist
Jean-Baptiste Nini · 1717–1786
Jean-Baptiste Nini, born Giovanni Battista Nini in Urbino, Italy, in March 1717, emerged as a versatile sculptor and medallist whose career bridged the vibrant artistic scenes of Italy, Spain, and France. The son of a modest painter, Nini received his initial training from his father in the rudiments of engraving. He honed these skills in Bologna, where he simultaneously studied sculpture at the A...