Not currently on display at the V&A

Bellerophon and the Chimera

Plaquette
ca. 1475-80 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This plaquette depicts the ancient Greek hero Bellerophon slaying the Chimera, a hybrid monster combining physical features of a lion, goat, and serpent. Homer described this mythological episode in the Iliad. The composition is very closely related to the verso of a medal of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, made by the Sienese artist Francesco di Giorgio, so it is likely that the plaquette was made for the same patron at a similar moment. The shape suggests that it was intended to decorate a sword pommel. Another version of this plaquette, gilded, is in the Bode-Museum, Berlin.
Plaquettes are small plaques or reliefs made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440s with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from ancient Greece and Rome. Some were made as collector's pieces, to be viewed and displayed in private, and others for practical purposes. They also inspired designs in other media, from architecture to bookbindings.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleBellerophon and the Chimera (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Brief description
Plaquette, bronze, Bellerophon and the Chimera, by Francesco di Giorgio, Italy (Siena), ca. 1475-80
Physical description
Plaquette depicting Bellerophon, naked, on a neighing horse, thrusting a spear through the throat of the Chimera.
Dimensions
  • Greatest height: 9.7cm
  • Width: 9.55cm
  • Weight: 130g
Marks and inscriptions
'CHIMERA' (incised)
Object history
From the Salting bequest.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This plaquette depicts the ancient Greek hero Bellerophon slaying the Chimera, a hybrid monster combining physical features of a lion, goat, and serpent. Homer described this mythological episode in the Iliad. The composition is very closely related to the verso of a medal of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, made by the Sienese artist Francesco di Giorgio, so it is likely that the plaquette was made for the same patron at a similar moment. The shape suggests that it was intended to decorate a sword pommel. Another version of this plaquette, gilded, is in the Bode-Museum, Berlin.
Plaquettes are small plaques or reliefs made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440s with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from ancient Greece and Rome. Some were made as collector's pieces, to be viewed and displayed in private, and others for practical purposes. They also inspired designs in other media, from architecture to bookbindings.
Bibliographic references
  • Bellosi, Luciano (ed.). Francesco di Giorgio e il Rinascimento a Siena 1450-1500. Exhibition Catalogue, Milan 1993, p. 356, cat. no. 70 (Roberto Bartalini)
  • Maclagan, Eric. Catalogue of Italian Plaquettes . London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1924, p. 19
  • 'Salting Bequest (A. 70 to A. 1029-1910) / Murray Bequest (A. 1030 to A. 1096-1910)'. In: List of Works of Art Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum (Department of Architecture and Sculpture). London: Printed under the Authority of his Majesty's Stationery Office, by Eyre and Spottiswoode, Limited, East Harding Street, EC, p. 64
Collection
Accession number
A.410-1910

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
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