The Adoration of the Magi
Plaquette
first half of 16th century (made)
first half of 16th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Plaquettes are small reliefs made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440s with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from ancient Greece and Rome. Some were made as collector's pieces, to be viewed and displayed in private, and others for practical purposes, such as decorations for caskets or larger wooden pieces. Belli spent the most important part of his career in Rome, working for two successive popes. Almost all of his bronze plaquettes are cast from his engravings in rock crystal or hardstone. This plaquette depends from a rock crystal plaque that forms part of Belli's masterpiece, a casket with 24 scenes from the life of Christ, completed for Pope Clement VII in 1537. The bronze would have been cast from a plaster or brass mould made from the original hardstone engraving.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Adoration of the Magi (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze |
| Brief description | Plaquette, double-sided, bronze, the Adoration of the Magi, by Valerio Belli, Italy, first half of 16th century |
| Physical description | Two-sided plaquette. On the obverse the Adoration of the Magi, with The Virgin seated at the right holding the Child on her knee and St. Joseph standing behind her. In front of the Holy Family are the three kings, the first kneeling in front of the Child, the others standing and offering their gifts. Two attendants stand at the back under a tree, one holding the halter of a camel. In the background is an arched doorway with an inscription over the door. On the reverse an altar on which the Child is seated. To the right stand Simeon and an attendant, to the left the Virgin and a maid carrying doves in a basket on her head. In the background a facade with a statue in a niche and three inscribed panels. Hole for suspension in the centre at the top. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Reverse: NVNC DIMITTIS - SERVVM - TVVM DOMINE (Inscription on obverse is in Greek characters - currently unable to enter)
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| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | From the Salting bequest. Historical significance: Probably moulded from impressions of rock crystal intaglio engravings by Valerio Belli. The imagery for the obverse depicting the Adoration of the Magi derives from a plaque on the casket of Clement VII in the Museo degli Argenti, Florence. The two faces exist as separate plaquettes in Berlin. A crystal intaglio of the Adoration of the Shepherds resembling the reverse in style exists in the collection of the Duke of Devonshire. For other bronze versions of the obverse see Burns et al, 2000. Another similar double-sided plaquette is in the Louvre. There is a bronze intaglio version (reversed) of the obverse in the British Museum. |
| Historical context | Shows how images known from engraved gems and hardstones persisted and often appeared again in bronze plaquettes and small reliefs. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Plaquettes are small reliefs made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440s with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from ancient Greece and Rome. Some were made as collector's pieces, to be viewed and displayed in private, and others for practical purposes, such as decorations for caskets or larger wooden pieces. Belli spent the most important part of his career in Rome, working for two successive popes. Almost all of his bronze plaquettes are cast from his engravings in rock crystal or hardstone. This plaquette depends from a rock crystal plaque that forms part of Belli's masterpiece, a casket with 24 scenes from the life of Christ, completed for Pope Clement VII in 1537. The bronze would have been cast from a plaster or brass mould made from the original hardstone engraving. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.477-1910 |
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| Record created | November 8, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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