Prudence
Panel
late 15th century (made)
late 15th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This reliefn is attributed to the workshop of Desiderio da Settignano (1430-1464).
The relief depicts a three-faced image of the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence. Erwin Panofsky was the first to explain the significance of the figure, noting its relationship of the iconography of Titian's "Allegory of Prudence". Oddly however, in this rendering there seems no allusion to the virtue of Prudence relying on knowing the past, the present and the future.
The three faces seem to have similar features and there is no obvious difference in their ages. There is, however, something rather reminiscent of contemporary representations of Christ in the half-closed eyes and slightly forked beard of the central figure that could lead one to speculate on possible associations between the "trifrons" Prudence and the Christian concept of the tripartite Holy Trinity.
As there is no trace of such a connection in the sources or commentaries of the period, however, it seems that any interpretation based on this possible association would be ill-founded.
The relief depicts a three-faced image of the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence. Erwin Panofsky was the first to explain the significance of the figure, noting its relationship of the iconography of Titian's "Allegory of Prudence". Oddly however, in this rendering there seems no allusion to the virtue of Prudence relying on knowing the past, the present and the future.
The three faces seem to have similar features and there is no obvious difference in their ages. There is, however, something rather reminiscent of contemporary representations of Christ in the half-closed eyes and slightly forked beard of the central figure that could lead one to speculate on possible associations between the "trifrons" Prudence and the Christian concept of the tripartite Holy Trinity.
As there is no trace of such a connection in the sources or commentaries of the period, however, it seems that any interpretation based on this possible association would be ill-founded.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Prudence (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Grey sandstone, carved in low relief |
| Brief description | Prudence - low relief in grey sandstone, showing triple head. Florentine, late 15th century |
| Physical description | Grey sandstone, carved in low relief, with a three headed bust, inscribed beneath "PRVDENZA". The front face that of a bearded man, the profile faces on each side younger. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | PRVDENZA (inscribed beneath) |
| Object history | The relief depicts a three-faced image of the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence. Erwin Panofsky was the first to explain the significance of the figure, noting its relationship of the iconography of Titian's "Allegory of Prudence". Oddly however, in this rendering there seems no allusion to the virtue of Prudence relying on knowing the past, the present and the future. The three faces seem to have similar features and there is no obvious difference in their ages. There is, however, something rather reminiscent of contemporary representations of Christ in the half-closed eyes and slightly forked beard of the central figure that could lead one to speculate on possible associations between the "trifrons" Prudence and the Christian concept of the tripartite Holy Trinity. As there is no trace of such a connection in the sources or commentaries of the period, however, it seems that any interpretation based on this possible association would be ill-founded. |
| Production | Robinson (p. 25): "Florentine quattro-cento sculpture. Master unknown". Maclagan and Longhurst (p. 40) point out that the relief has some stylistic connection with the work of Antonio Rossellino. The handling is reminsicent of the Desiderio workshop, and the relief was probably produced by a member of the Desiderio studio active about 1460. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This reliefn is attributed to the workshop of Desiderio da Settignano (1430-1464). The relief depicts a three-faced image of the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence. Erwin Panofsky was the first to explain the significance of the figure, noting its relationship of the iconography of Titian's "Allegory of Prudence". Oddly however, in this rendering there seems no allusion to the virtue of Prudence relying on knowing the past, the present and the future. The three faces seem to have similar features and there is no obvious difference in their ages. There is, however, something rather reminiscent of contemporary representations of Christ in the half-closed eyes and slightly forked beard of the central figure that could lead one to speculate on possible associations between the "trifrons" Prudence and the Christian concept of the tripartite Holy Trinity. As there is no trace of such a connection in the sources or commentaries of the period, however, it seems that any interpretation based on this possible association would be ill-founded. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 3004-1856 |
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| Record created | May 15, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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