Medallion
17th century (made), circa 1864 (cast)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This oval medallion is from the Campo Santo in Pisa. It is decorated with arabesques in low relief, and the bust at its centre depicts Michelangelo. This plaster cast was purchased from Messrs. Franchi and Son in 1864 after the 17th century Italian original.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Plaster cast |
| Brief description | Oval medallion with the bust of Michelangelo, from the Campo Santo in Pisa. Plaster cast purchased from Messrs. Franchi and Son in 1864 after 17th century Italian original. |
| Physical description | Oval medallion with the bust of Michelangelo in high relief surrounded by arabesques in low relief. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Object history | Bought from Messrs. Franchi and Son for £1 1s. Two copies hung in the Museum. |
| Historical context | By the 1850s, plaster cast reproductions had become a lucrative business throughout Europe. Anglo-Italian castmakers, such as Giovanni Franchi and Domenico Brucciani, established businesses in London. In 1864, as part of the Museum's campaign of cast acquisition, Franchi was sent to Italy to take casts of the Giovanni Pisano pulpit at in the Cathedral at Pisa. This project was initiated by the first curator of the South Kensington museum, John Charles Robinson, who acquired much Italian sculpture for the South Kensington Museum. |
| Production | This plaster cast was purchased from Messrs. Franchi and Son in 1864 after the 17th century Italian original. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This oval medallion is from the Campo Santo in Pisa. It is decorated with arabesques in low relief, and the bust at its centre depicts Michelangelo. This plaster cast was purchased from Messrs. Franchi and Son in 1864 after the 17th century Italian original. |
| Bibliographic reference | Baker, Malcom. The Cast Courts Victoria and Albert Museum pamphlet, London, 1982:
http://web.archive.org/web/20230111165503/http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/sculpture/%20sculpture_features/cast_collection/%20cast_courts_masterpiece/index.html |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | REPRO.1864A-74 |
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| Record created | October 29, 2010 |
| Record URL |
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