Not currently on display at the V&A

The Toilet of Venus

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

This plaquette in lead shows the Toilet of Venus and is made by Antonio Abondio in the second half of the sixteenth century in Italy.

It depicts the head and shoulders of Venus, a Cupid holds up a mirror in his left hand, and above another attendant, whose head only is seen, is plaiting the hair of Venus.

The medallist and sculptor Antonio Abondio was born in 1538 in Milan and died in 1596 in Vienna.
He and Leone Leoni were the only Italian medallists to be highly successful as court medallists north of the Alps. His eclectic style reflects Italian, German and Netherlandish sources. He was influenced by the Venetian Alessandro Vittoria and earlier by Alfonso Ruspagiari and the school of wax modellers and medallists centred on Reggio Emilia.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Toilet of Venus (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Lead in low relief
Brief description
Lead plaquette, depicting the Toilet of Venus, with Venus, Cupid and two attendants, by Antonio Abondio, Italy, second half of 16th century
Physical description
Plaquette depicts in front the head and shoulders of Venus, on the left the profile of an attendant lifting a comb; to the right Cupid holds up a mirror in his left hand, and above another attendant, whose head only is seen, is plaiting the hair of Venus.
Dimensions
  • Height: 9.35cm
  • Width: 7.2cm
Subjects depicted
Summary
This plaquette in lead shows the Toilet of Venus and is made by Antonio Abondio in the second half of the sixteenth century in Italy.

It depicts the head and shoulders of Venus, a Cupid holds up a mirror in his left hand, and above another attendant, whose head only is seen, is plaiting the hair of Venus.

The medallist and sculptor Antonio Abondio was born in 1538 in Milan and died in 1596 in Vienna.
He and Leone Leoni were the only Italian medallists to be highly successful as court medallists north of the Alps. His eclectic style reflects Italian, German and Netherlandish sources. He was influenced by the Venetian Alessandro Vittoria and earlier by Alfonso Ruspagiari and the school of wax modellers and medallists centred on Reggio Emilia.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1859. 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. 41
  • Maclagan, Eric. Catalogue of Italian Plaquettes . London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1924, p. 45
Collection
Accession number
5412-1859

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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