Vittoria della Rovere thumbnail 1
Vittoria della Rovere thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Europe 1600-1815, Room 6, The Lisa and Bernard Selz Gallery

Vittoria della Rovere

Portrait Medallion
ca. 1680-1694 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This colourful relief shows Vittoria della Rovere, Grand Duchess of Tuscany as a widow, following the death of her husband, Ferdinando II de' Medici in May 1670. She is wearing the black dress of an Oblate or member of the congregation of the Suore Montalve, a religious order for which she was the patron from 1680 and for whom she commissioned a church in 1686.

The relief was made as a pair with one probably depicting her son, Cosimo III de' Medici (Museum no. 145-1869), in the Grand-ducal workshop that specialised in hardstone carving and inlay. The workshop was set up by Ferdinando I de' Medici, effectively as one of the 'state' factories (often referred to as the 'Medici workshops'), designed to produce high-quality works of art for the court in luxurious materials.

The pair of portrait reliefs, composed of intricately carved, highly polished pieces of marble, were probably made by Giuseppe Antonio Torricelli, a talented specialist in this type of carving that demanded a particular skill. They were probably commissioned by Cosimo III, and from his mother's dress, must date to after 1680. He also commissioned a stunning commemorative bust of his mother from Torricelli, dated to about 1697 (now in the Museo degli Argenti, Palazzo Pitti, Florence).

This exquisitely carved relief and its pair would have been displayed together as collectible treasures. Their craftsmanship and materials demonstrate the Baroque taste for such works, notably at the Medici court which promoted their production, and where it was much in vogue during Cosimo's reign.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleVittoria della Rovere (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Portrait bust in low relief of coloured marbles and hardstones (pietre dure)
Brief description
Plaque, pietre dure relief, portrait bust of Vittoria della Rovere, perhaps by Giuseppe Antonio Torricelli, Florentine, ca. 1680-1694
Physical description
Oval portrait bust of Vittoria della Rovere, relief in coloured marbles. The Grand-Duchess is represented in profile to the right, wearing the black habit and white ruched collar of an oblate of the Suore Montalve. The portrait is set on an oval of grey-blue marble backed with slate, and is carved from black marble faced with yellow marble in the features and whitish stone in the collar.
Dimensions
  • Length: 14.8cm
  • Width: 10.6cm
Gallery label
VITTORIA DELLA ROVERE, GRAND DUCHESS OF TUSCANY (1622-1694) Italian (Florence); about 1680-1700 Pietre dure Attributed to Giuseppe Antonio Torricelli (1659-1719) This relief of Vittoria della Rovere was based on a medal showing her in the habit of a member of the Congregation of the Montalve, a religious order for which she became official patron in 1680. This relief, and that of her husband, must therefore date from after 1680, and were perhaps commissioned in their memory by their son, Cosimo III. They are attributed to Torricelli, a famous artist in pietre dure (or hardstone), who also made a life-size bust of Vittoria (now in the Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Florence) in 1696. (1993 - 2011)
Object history
This relief, together with its pair (Mus. no. 145-1869) depicting her son Cosimo III de' Medici, is attributed to Giuseppe Antonio Torricelli (1662-1719), a sculptor and gem-cutter who worked at the Galleria dei Lavori, the Grand-ducal workshops in Florence, specialising in hardstone inlay and carving. It shows Vittoria della Rovere (1622-1694), Grand Duchess of Tuscany and widow of Ferdinando II de' Medici (1610-1670). In 1696, Torricelli made an almost life-size commemorative bust of Vittoria, commissioned by her son (Museo degli Argenti, Florence). The artist was justly proud of what was an unusual achievement on that scale in hardstone (see New York 2008, p.190). The bust, and this relief, are generally said to be based on a marble bust of the young Vittoria by the court sculptor Giambattista Foggini (Galleria degli Uffizi; see Lankheit 1962, p.209; New York 2008, p.190). There is also a close relationship to a medal by Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656-1750) of c.1685, showing Vittoria in similar dress and facing left (cf. Detroit and Florence 1974, pp.136-7, cat. no. 90).

The two reliefs are created from coloured hardstone, pieced together like a jigsaw and backed onto slate. Here, Vittoria is shown in the habit of a member of the congregation of the Suore Montalve, a religious order for which she became the official patron in 1680, and for whom she was responsible for commissioning their church in 1686. This provides a terminus ante quem when she was already a widow, and the pair of portraits were probably commissioned by her son.

Purchased in Florence (through W. B. Spence, £2 10s.) in 1869.
Subject depicted
Summary
This colourful relief shows Vittoria della Rovere, Grand Duchess of Tuscany as a widow, following the death of her husband, Ferdinando II de' Medici in May 1670. She is wearing the black dress of an Oblate or member of the congregation of the Suore Montalve, a religious order for which she was the patron from 1680 and for whom she commissioned a church in 1686.

The relief was made as a pair with one probably depicting her son, Cosimo III de' Medici (Museum no. 145-1869), in the Grand-ducal workshop that specialised in hardstone carving and inlay. The workshop was set up by Ferdinando I de' Medici, effectively as one of the 'state' factories (often referred to as the 'Medici workshops'), designed to produce high-quality works of art for the court in luxurious materials.

The pair of portrait reliefs, composed of intricately carved, highly polished pieces of marble, were probably made by Giuseppe Antonio Torricelli, a talented specialist in this type of carving that demanded a particular skill. They were probably commissioned by Cosimo III, and from his mother's dress, must date to after 1680. He also commissioned a stunning commemorative bust of his mother from Torricelli, dated to about 1697 (now in the Museo degli Argenti, Palazzo Pitti, Florence).

This exquisitely carved relief and its pair would have been displayed together as collectible treasures. Their craftsmanship and materials demonstrate the Baroque taste for such works, notably at the Medici court which promoted their production, and where it was much in vogue during Cosimo's reign.
Associated object
145-1869 (Pair)
Bibliographic references
  • List of Objects in the Art Division, South Kensington, Acquired During the Year 1869, Arranged According to the Dates of Acquisition. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., p. 12
  • Pope-Hennessy, John, assisted by Lightbown, Ronald. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: HMSO, 1964, vol. II, p. 591, cat. no. 631, vol. III, fig. 621
  • Lankheit, Klaus, ed. Florentinische Barockplastik. Die Kunst am Hofe der letzten Medici, 1670-1740. p. 60, n. 30 (p.209)
  • cf. Giusti, Annamaria in Koeppe, Wolfram and Giusti, Annamaria and others; Koeppe, Wolfram (ed.). Art of the Royal Court. Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe. Exh. cat. the Metrpolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1 July - 21 September 2008. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2008, p. 190, cat. 40 for Bust of Vittoria della Rovere by Giuseppe Antonio Torricelli
  • cf. Giusti, Annamaria, 'Medicean Production in Florence' in Pietre dure and the Art of Florentine Inlay. London: Thames and Hudson, 2006, pp. 47-109
  • cf. The Twilight of the Medici. Late Baroque Art in Florence, 1670-1743. [exh. cat. The Detroit Institute of Arts, 27 March - 2 June 1974; Palazzo Pitti, Florence, 28 June- 30 September 1974]. Florence: Centro Di, p. 136-7, cat. 90 [medal]
Collection
Accession number
146-1869

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Record createdAugust 29, 2008
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