Saturday, March 4, 2017

Renaissance Plaquettes at the British Museum

Plaquette (Germany)
Perseus with the Head of Medusa
ca. 1575
bronze
British Museum

The bronze plaquette above is about six inches tall. The one below is less than half that size. These little relief sculptures in bronze or lead or copper were fashionable all across Europe mainly during the 15th and 16th centuries. Many served as table or shelf ornaments in cultivated interiors. The smaller ones could also be incorporated as personal adornments, displayed about the body in various ingenious ways. Plaquettes illustrated familiar myths and Biblical episodes, alluded to family identity, represented mottoes or topical allegories.

Marika Leino recently published an ambitious book-length description of this now-obscure creative genre  Fashion, devotion and contemplation: the status and functions of Italian Renaissance plaquettes (Peter Lang, 2012).

Plaquette (Italy)
Diomedes with the Palladium
15th century
bronze
British Museum

Plaquette (Padua)
Cupid sailing a Boat
late 15th century
bronze (modeled by Andrea Riccio)
British Museum

Plaquette (Genoa)
Andrea Doria with Victory & Fame
1541
bronze (attributed to Leone Leoni)
British Museum

Plaquette (Genoa)
Gianettino Doria as a Roman General
offering Sacrifice at a Pagan Altar

ca. 1541
copper alloy (modeled by Leone Leoni)
British Museum

Plaquette (Italy)
Adoration of the Shepherds
16th century
lead (attributed to Valerio Belli)
British Museum

Plaquette (Italy)
Pietà / Lamentation
16th century
gilt-bronze
British Museum

Plaquette (Padua)
St Cecilia playing the Organ
ca. 1500
gilt-bronze (modeled by Ulocrino)
British Museum

Plaquette (Europe)
Pallas Athena
no date
lead
British Museum
bequeathed by Sir Hans Sloane

Plaquette (Florence)
Marsyas and Apollo
with Olympus kneeling

15th century
bronze
British Museum

Plaquette (Florence)
Marsyas and Apollo
with Olympus kneeling

ca. 1525
bronze
British Museum

Plaquette (Italy)
Marcus Curtius leaping into the Chasm
(Guard from Sword Pommel)

ca. 1500
bronze
British Museum

Plaquette (Germany)
The Muse Euterpe playing a Pipe
ca. 1530
lead (modeled by Peter Flötner)
British Museum

Plaquette (Europe)
Coriolanus supplicated by his Mother
18th century
gilt-bronze
British Museum