Not currently on display at the V&A

Venus chastisising Cupid

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

This plaquette depicting Venus and Cupid is made by Riccio in the ealry 16th century in Padua.
Riccio (1470-1532) - meaning 'Curly-Head' - worked primarily in bronze and is acknowledged as the master of the bronze statuette during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was active in the humanist circle of the University of Padua, in north-east Italy.
Riccio was trained as a goldsmith and lived and worked all his live in Padua. Today he is acknowledged as one of the greatest bronze sculptors of the Renaissance.
His statuettes, functional objects, like oil lamps, and reliefs reflect Riccio's inimitable ability to express the most refined humanist ideas prevalent in the Veneto in bronze.
He was also a specialist in rendering themes of Classical mythology.
His oeuvre is often neglected because of its small scale, but it constitutes one of the most fascinating manifestations of the poetic paganism of the High Renaissance.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleVenus chastisising Cupid (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Brief description
Plaquette, bronze, Venus chastisising Cupid, by Riccio, Italy (Padua), early 16th century
Physical description
Plaquette depicts Venus standinmg naked. Her right hand is raised to strike Cupid, whose hair she grasps and whose foot she presses under her own. He holds an arrow.
Dimensions
  • Height: 11cm
  • Width: 8.25cm
Object history
From the Salting bequest.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This plaquette depicting Venus and Cupid is made by Riccio in the ealry 16th century in Padua.
Riccio (1470-1532) - meaning 'Curly-Head' - worked primarily in bronze and is acknowledged as the master of the bronze statuette during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was active in the humanist circle of the University of Padua, in north-east Italy.
Riccio was trained as a goldsmith and lived and worked all his live in Padua. Today he is acknowledged as one of the greatest bronze sculptors of the Renaissance.
His statuettes, functional objects, like oil lamps, and reliefs reflect Riccio's inimitable ability to express the most refined humanist ideas prevalent in the Veneto in bronze.
He was also a specialist in rendering themes of Classical mythology.
His oeuvre is often neglected because of its small scale, but it constitutes one of the most fascinating manifestations of the poetic paganism of the High Renaissance.
Bibliographic references
  • '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
  • Maclagan, Eric. Catalogue of Italian Plaquettes . London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1924, p. 22
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Renaissance Bronzes from the Samuel H. Kress Collection. Reliefs - Plaquettes - Statuettes - Utensils and Mortars . London: 1965, p. 63, no 209
  • Theuerkauff, C. Die Bildwerke in Elfenbein des 16. - 19. Jahrhunderts, Berlin, 1986, p. 314, 15, note2.
Collection
Accession number
A.413-1910

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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