THIS OBJECT WAS SOLD
Galeazzo Mondella - Moderno - Bronze Plaquette - 15th Century - Haute Epoque - Renaissance
Previously in the Boissel de Monville collection, the most beautiful known specimen.
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The Virgin and Child between Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Jerome, plaquette mounted in pax, Galeazzo Mondella alias Moderno, end of 15th century.
In a niche, sat on a throne, the Virgin is preparing to breasfeed the Child sat on her left knee. The niche, cronwned by a shell, is set between two corinthian columns whose shafts are ribbed in the lower part and ornamented with a round of angels. At the bottom of each column a cherub playing luth is sat on the ground.
On the left side, Saint Anthony wearing a long cape holds a stick where hangs a little bell. On the opposite side, Saint Jerome is meditating reading a book, with a lion at his feet. At the top of the niche, a roses frieze includes a medal depicting standing Child Jesus.
The semi-circle shaped pediment depicts the Resurrection, Christ rising from the grave between two sleeping roman soldiers. The pediment is decorated by a cherub head on its top, and four putti on the sides. These ones, the first two being sat on cornice edge, hold a floral feston that hangs in a semi-circle.
The whole rests on a moulded base, adorned with a frieze made of grotesque busts, whose double tails end in acanthus scrolls.
On the back appear letters ''SG'' and ''SA'', for San Girolamo and San Antonio. On the bottom, epigraph ''HOC OPUS MO/DERNI CC'' (this is Moderno's work) refers to the pseudonym accepted to match Galeazzo Mondella . According to Douglas Lewis, ''CC'' could mean Comites Confectores (associated makers).
Ribbon-shaped curved handle is a later addition (17th century?). One must also notice there are engraved graffiti (see pictures). At the top, ''F----S'' topped by a cross, in the middle ''MD'', and at the bottom ''S I(?)M I D''. These graffiti could be the mark of a first owner. ''MD'' could refer to year 1500, matching accepted year of creation for this plaquette (1490). They are anyway prior to handle fitting, since it partially covers them.
On the pediment appears the mark ''BM'', stamped for the auction sale of baron Boissel de Monville's collection, January 24 and 25, 1861. Auction catalogue says : ''All pieces of the collection are exclusively minted by a little stamp (BM) ; the stamp has been put into the hands of the auctioneer in charge of destroying it''. Man of eclectic interests, the baron was a connoisseur and a collector of high-quality bronzes and plaquettes from 15th and 16th centuries. Catalogue specifies : ''This collection […] comes as the result of nearly forty years of an assiduous search : efforts have been made to not only complete it, but also to successively substitute by superior specimens the ones that could have left something to be desired... All Europe has contributed to build it, and it would be impossible today to gather another one that much complete...''
This plaquette is a specimen of an outstanding quality, all details are impressive of delicacy. As much in figures and cherubs faces, as in ornaments, friezes and decorations, quality of manufacturing is the true mark of a production very close to the creator of the work. See also the little foliated patterns around ''CC'' mark that are of an admirable precision, where only appear vague dots on some other specimens. 1861 auction catalogue signals under lot number 156 : ''Bas-relief mounted in pax : opus moderni. Composition of which we know only another one nice specimen.''
Height : 11,2 cm
Width : 6,6 cm
Bibl :
- The plaquettes of ''Moderno'' and his followers, Douglas Lewis (p. 114/115/116)
- Les Bronzes de la Renaissance - Les plaquettes (vol.1), Emile Molinier (n°161)
- Images en reliefs, les plaquettes du Musée de la Renaissance, Bertrand Bergbauer (p.63)
- Catalogue de la précieuse collection de bronzes italiens de M.B. de M*** (Boissel de Monville), vente des 24/25 janvier 1861, Pillet Commissaire-priseur, Roussel Expert, BNF (lot n°156)
- Collectors of Renaissance Reliefs : Erasmus of Rotterdam and Baron Boissel de Monville, Douglas Lewis
Reference specimens:
British Museum: 1915,1216.39
Detroit Institute of Arts: 58.350
Musée du Louvre: OA 2464
Musée de la Renaissance: E.CI.14889, OA 758 and E.CI.20062
Metropolitan Museum of Art: 13.121.2
Rijksmuseum: BK-NM-11919
Victoria & Albert Museum: A.425-1910
Wallace Collection: S302 and S303
National Gallery of Art: 1942.9.246 and 1957.14.287
Museo Civico di Palazzo Chiericati: AP I 37
Budapest Museum of Fine Arts: 2015.1
Free Shipping Insurance Included (E-U only)
The Virgin and Child between Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Jerome, plaquette mounted in pax, Galeazzo Mondella alias Moderno, end of 15th century.
In a niche, sat on a throne, the Virgin is preparing to breasfeed the Child sat on her left knee. The niche, cronwned by a shell, is set between two corinthian columns whose shafts are ribbed in the lower part and ornamented with a round of angels. At the bottom of each column a cherub playing luth is sat on the ground.
On the left side, Saint Anthony wearing a long cape holds a stick where hangs a little bell. On the opposite side, Saint Jerome is meditating reading a book, with a lion at his feet. At the top of the niche, a roses frieze includes a medal depicting standing Child Jesus.
The semi-circle shaped pediment depicts the Resurrection, Christ rising from the grave between two sleeping roman soldiers. The pediment is decorated by a cherub head on its top, and four putti on the sides. These ones, the first two being sat on cornice edge, hold a floral feston that hangs in a semi-circle.
The whole rests on a moulded base, adorned with a frieze made of grotesque busts, whose double tails end in acanthus scrolls.
On the back appear letters ''SG'' and ''SA'', for San Girolamo and San Antonio. On the bottom, epigraph ''HOC OPUS MO/DERNI CC'' (this is Moderno's work) refers to the pseudonym accepted to match Galeazzo Mondella . According to Douglas Lewis, ''CC'' could mean Comites Confectores (associated makers).
Ribbon-shaped curved handle is a later addition (17th century?). One must also notice there are engraved graffiti (see pictures). At the top, ''F----S'' topped by a cross, in the middle ''MD'', and at the bottom ''S I(?)M I D''. These graffiti could be the mark of a first owner. ''MD'' could refer to year 1500, matching accepted year of creation for this plaquette (1490). They are anyway prior to handle fitting, since it partially covers them.
On the pediment appears the mark ''BM'', stamped for the auction sale of baron Boissel de Monville's collection, January 24 and 25, 1861. Auction catalogue says : ''All pieces of the collection are exclusively minted by a little stamp (BM) ; the stamp has been put into the hands of the auctioneer in charge of destroying it''. Man of eclectic interests, the baron was a connoisseur and a collector of high-quality bronzes and plaquettes from 15th and 16th centuries. Catalogue specifies : ''This collection […] comes as the result of nearly forty years of an assiduous search : efforts have been made to not only complete it, but also to successively substitute by superior specimens the ones that could have left something to be desired... All Europe has contributed to build it, and it would be impossible today to gather another one that much complete...''
This plaquette is a specimen of an outstanding quality, all details are impressive of delicacy. As much in figures and cherubs faces, as in ornaments, friezes and decorations, quality of manufacturing is the true mark of a production very close to the creator of the work. See also the little foliated patterns around ''CC'' mark that are of an admirable precision, where only appear vague dots on some other specimens. 1861 auction catalogue signals under lot number 156 : ''Bas-relief mounted in pax : opus moderni. Composition of which we know only another one nice specimen.''
Height : 11,2 cm
Width : 6,6 cm
Bibl :
- The plaquettes of ''Moderno'' and his followers, Douglas Lewis (p. 114/115/116)
- Les Bronzes de la Renaissance - Les plaquettes (vol.1), Emile Molinier (n°161)
- Images en reliefs, les plaquettes du Musée de la Renaissance, Bertrand Bergbauer (p.63)
- Catalogue de la précieuse collection de bronzes italiens de M.B. de M*** (Boissel de Monville), vente des 24/25 janvier 1861, Pillet Commissaire-priseur, Roussel Expert, BNF (lot n°156)
- Collectors of Renaissance Reliefs : Erasmus of Rotterdam and Baron Boissel de Monville, Douglas Lewis
Reference specimens:
British Museum: 1915,1216.39
Detroit Institute of Arts: 58.350
Musée du Louvre: OA 2464
Musée de la Renaissance: E.CI.14889, OA 758 and E.CI.20062
Metropolitan Museum of Art: 13.121.2
Rijksmuseum: BK-NM-11919
Victoria & Albert Museum: A.425-1910
Wallace Collection: S302 and S303
National Gallery of Art: 1942.9.246 and 1957.14.287
Museo Civico di Palazzo Chiericati: AP I 37
Budapest Museum of Fine Arts: 2015.1
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