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Bell

ca. 1540-80 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This bell has been ascribed to the same workshop as three others in the National Gallery of Art (Kress Collection) in Washington. These are assigned to Venice on the grounds that the arms of the Moro family are displayed on the one of the bells. The arms on this bell can be identified as those of the Bembo family of Venice, which could appear to support this view. However it is also possible that the bells were commissioned elsewhere within the Venetian empire. The motif of hanging cornucopiae and bucrania in its various forms was quite common, and was probably produced by workshops in both Venice and Brescia.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Brief description
Bell with the arms of the Bembo family of Venice; bell-metal, North Italy ca. 1540-80.
Physical description
Bell in bell-metal, decorated around the shoulder of the crown with acanthus. On the neck, a band of foliate decoration within a rope border, from which are suspended festoons of cornucopiae and bucrania. Below are profile heads of Apollo Pythius and a bearded emperor and two coats of arms flanked by flowers or thistles, between which are small medallions with profile heads facing each other. Moulding wires and acanthus on the sound bow.
Dimensions
  • Height: 14.5cm
  • Diameter: 13.2cm
  • Weight: 1344g
Content description
The coat of arms is that of the Bembo family of Venice.
Object history
Before 1944, in the collection of W. L. Hildburgh. On loan to the V&A from that time. Given by Hildburgh in 1947.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This bell has been ascribed to the same workshop as three others in the National Gallery of Art (Kress Collection) in Washington. These are assigned to Venice on the grounds that the arms of the Moro family are displayed on the one of the bells. The arms on this bell can be identified as those of the Bembo family of Venice, which could appear to support this view. However it is also possible that the bells were commissioned elsewhere within the Venetian empire. The motif of hanging cornucopiae and bucrania in its various forms was quite common, and was probably produced by workshops in both Venice and Brescia.
Bibliographic references
  • Motture, Peta. Bells & Mortars: Catalogue of Italian Bronzes in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London, 2001. pp. 171-3. cat. no. 55.
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection. London, 1965. pp. 147-8. no. 540. fig. 536.
  • Motture, P. The decoration of Italian Renaissance hand-bells. In: Currie, S., Motture, P., eds. The sculpted object, 1400-1700. Aldershot, 1997. pp. 104, 109. n. 30. fig. 6. 9.
  • Gasparotto, Davide, cat. entry in, Beltramini, Guido & Gasparotto, Davide, eds. Aldo Manuzio: Renaissance in Venice, Venice, 2016, exh. cat., pp. 254 - 255, cat. 47.
Collection
Accession number
M.1-1947

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
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