Not currently on display at the V&A

Hercules and the Centaur

Plaquette
late 15th century to early 16th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This bronze plaquette showing Hercules and the Centaur is made by Moderno in the late 15th or early 16th century in North Italy.

Hercules is naked with the exception of the lion skin and springs forward from the left and crushes the centaur in his arms. To the left is a building on which is the signature O.MODERNI, and to the right is a ruined amphitheatre.

Moderno is the pseudonym of a goldsmith and medalist active in North Italy and later in Rome. He signed certain pieces of his work with OPUS MODERNI (opus is the Latin term for 'work' - which then means 'work of the modern'). The modern here is referring to the Ancient World, in contrary to the Naturalism of the Gothic. He was active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His earliest works may date around 1485-1490, and his earliest dated work is 1490. There are many different suggestions in literature to whom OPUS MODERNI may refer, and there has never been a clear answer to it.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleHercules and the Centaur (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Brief description
Plaquette, bronze, showing Hercules and the Centaur, made by Moderno, late 15th or early 16th century, North Italy
Physical description
The plaquette shows Hercules naked with the exception of the lion skin, springs forward from the left and crushes the centaur in his arms. To the left is a building on which is the signature O.MODERNI, and to the right a ruined amphitheatre. In the background are hills.
Dimensions
  • Height: 6.95cm
  • Width: 5.55cm
Marks and inscriptions
O.MODERNI (signature on the building)
Object history
Aqcuired in Munich
Subjects depicted
Summary
This bronze plaquette showing Hercules and the Centaur is made by Moderno in the late 15th or early 16th century in North Italy.

Hercules is naked with the exception of the lion skin and springs forward from the left and crushes the centaur in his arms. To the left is a building on which is the signature O.MODERNI, and to the right is a ruined amphitheatre.

Moderno is the pseudonym of a goldsmith and medalist active in North Italy and later in Rome. He signed certain pieces of his work with OPUS MODERNI (opus is the Latin term for 'work' - which then means 'work of the modern'). The modern here is referring to the Ancient World, in contrary to the Naturalism of the Gothic. He was active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His earliest works may date around 1485-1490, and his earliest dated work is 1490. There are many different suggestions in literature to whom OPUS MODERNI may refer, and there has never been a clear answer to it.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1858. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 19
  • Maclagan, Eric. Catalogue of Italian Plaquettes . London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1924, p.37
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection. Reliefs - Plaquettes - Statuettes - Utensils and Mortars . London: 1965, p. 43, no. 136
Collection
Accession number
4467-1858

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Record createdJune 2, 2009
Record URL
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