A Member of the Capponi family
Bust
ca. 1500 (carved)
ca. 1500 (carved)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The man might be Niccolò di Giovanni Capponi (1416–91), a leading figure in the Florentine government and army. His descendents were said to have displayed the bust in their library, along with other family portrait busts. It is based on a death mask, made by laying plaster over the face of the deceased to create a mould.
The sitter wears a cappuccio, an elaborate headdress that was commonly worn by Florentines in the 15th century. The possible man represented in the bust, Niccolo di Giovanni Capponi (1416-91) was gonfaloniere di giustizia (magistrate and captain of troops responsible for city magistrates' defence) in 1464.
The sitter wears a cappuccio, an elaborate headdress that was commonly worn by Florentines in the 15th century. The possible man represented in the bust, Niccolo di Giovanni Capponi (1416-91) was gonfaloniere di giustizia (magistrate and captain of troops responsible for city magistrates' defence) in 1464.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Terracotta |
| Brief description | Bust of a member of the Capponi family, terracotta, Italy (Florence), ca. 1500 |
| Physical description | Bust of a member of the Capponi family, terracotta. The bust, which is cut off above the elbows and through the chest, shows a clean-shaven old man. He wears a high-necked gown and a chaperon with lappets. He is a member of the Capponi family. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | When in the Gigli-Campana collection, from which it was purchased, the bust was regarded as a member of the Capponi family, because it had been one of a number of ancestor busts decorating the library of the Capponi house near San Frediano. The bust is a characteristic example of a portrait cast from a death mask. The sitter wears a cappuccio, an elaborate headdress that was commonly worn by Florentines in the 15th century. The bust may represent Niccolo di Giovanni Capponi (1416-91), who was gonfaloniere di giustizia (magistrate and captain of troops responsible for city magistrates' defence) in 1464. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The man might be Niccolò di Giovanni Capponi (1416–91), a leading figure in the Florentine government and army. His descendents were said to have displayed the bust in their library, along with other family portrait busts. It is based on a death mask, made by laying plaster over the face of the deceased to create a mould. The sitter wears a cappuccio, an elaborate headdress that was commonly worn by Florentines in the 15th century. The possible man represented in the bust, Niccolo di Giovanni Capponi (1416-91) was gonfaloniere di giustizia (magistrate and captain of troops responsible for city magistrates' defence) in 1464. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 7588-1861 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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