Socket for a Flag Pole
Electrotype Copy
August 1505 (sculpted), 1861 (electrotyping)
August 1505 (sculpted), 1861 (electrotyping)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Electrotype Copy of a socket for a standard, after the bronze original in the Piazza di S. Marco, Venice. One of three flagstaffs commissioned from Leopardi by Doge Leonardo Loredan (reigned 1501-21). The latter's portrait appears in four medallions on the flagstaff. The flagstaff shows the winged lion of St. Mark, the emblem of the Venetian Republic, and around the base are seascapes with classicizing figures. Here, allegorical figures of Wisdom, Charity and Justice are shown riding above the waves with attendants.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Socket for a Flag Pole (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Electrotype copy |
| Brief description | Electrotype, patinated copper, after the original bronze socket for a flag pole in St Mark's Square, Venice, by Alessandro Leopardi, Venice, in 1505. Cast by Giovanni Franchi and Son in London, 1861. |
| Physical description | Electrotype Copy of a socket for a standard, after the bronze original in the Piazza di S. Marco, Venice. One of three flagstaffs commissioned from Leopardi by Doge Leonardo Loredan (reigned 1501-21). The latter's portrait appears in four medallions on the flagstaff. The flagstaff shows the winged lion of St. Mark, the emblem of the Venetian Republic, and around the base are seascapes with classicizing figures. Here, allegorical figures of Wisdom, Charity and Justice are shown riding above the waves with attendants. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | The Museum bought two copies of the socket in 1863 for the large sum of £410. An inscription on the original records that it was commissioned for St Mark's Square in Venice, where it still stands outside the Doge's Palace. The inscription is not reproduced on the copy. Rather it was the decoration that the Museum deemed useful for artists and designers. It features mythological figures, the winged lion of St Mark and medals depicting the Doge.(2014) |
| Object history | Purchased from Messrs Franchi & Son together with museum no. 1863-3 in 1863 for £205 |
| Historical context | One of three flagstaffs commissioned from Leopardi by Doge Leonardo Loredan (reigned 1501-21). The latter's portrait appears in four medallions on the flagstaff, and he is recorded in the inscription which runs around three bands on the original, but is not reproduced in this copy. It reads: OPTIMO PRINCIPE/LEONARDO LAVREDANO/DVCE VENETIAN. EIVS IIII./PROCVR.ECCLES./S.MARCI./PAVLO BARBO/M.ANTO.MAVROC.EQ/NICOL. TRIVISANO/ANNO DOMINI MCCCCCV MENS.ABG.OPVS ALEXANDRI LEOPARDI ((Given) by the great prince Leonardo Loredan, Doge of Venice in the fourth year of his reign (and supervised by) the procurators of the church of S. Marco, Paulo Barbo., M. Anto. Mauroc., knight, Nicol Trivisano, in the year of Our Lord 1505 in the month of August. The work of Alessandro Leopardi). The three flagstaffs all show the winged lion of St Mark, the emblem of the Venetian Republic, and around their bases are seascapes with classicizing figures. Here, allegorical figures of Wisdom, Charity and Justice are shown riding above the waves with attendants. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Bibliographic reference | Angus Patterson, "The Perfect Marriage of Art and Industry: Elkingtons and the South Kensington Museum's Electrotype Collection", The Journal of the Antique Metalware Society, Vol. 20, June 2012, pp. 56-77, ill. p. 64 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | REPRO.1863-2 |
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| Record created | June 28, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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