Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours thumbnail 1
Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Cast Courts, Room 46b, The Weston Cast Court

Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours

Statue
1526-1534 (sculpted), ca. 1881 (cast)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Plaster Cast of Giuliano de 'Medici (Duke of Nemours, b. 1478; d.1564) after the marble original in the Medici Chapel (the New Sacristy) in the church of S. Lorenzo, Florence.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleGiuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Plaster cast, painted plaster
Brief description
Plaster cast, painted plaster, after the marble original of Giuliano de' Medici in the Medici Chapel in the church of San Lorenzo, Florence, by Michelangelo, Florence, 1526-34. Cast by Oronzio Lelli in Florence, in about 1881.
Physical description
Plaster Cast of Giuliano de 'Medici (Duke of Nemours, b. 1478; d.1564) after the marble original in the Medici Chapel (the New Sacristy) in the church of S. Lorenzo, Florence.
Dimensions
  • Height: 183cm
  • Base width: 77cm
Gallery label
In 1520, Michelangelo was commissioned by the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany to design a family mausoleum. He created statues of the deceased for each tomb. This figure, of Giuliano, a son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, is shown as a classical Roman general. In the 19th century, the firm of Oronzio Lelli produced many casts of Michelangelo's figures from the chapel, including this one.(2014)
Object history
Purchased from Oronzio Lelli in 1881 for £50
Historical context
The decorations of the Medici funerary chapel was commissioned from Michelangelo in 1520 by Cardinal Giulio de 'Medici, afterwards Pope Clement VII (1478-1534). The figure of Giuliano (1479-1516) is seated in a niche above his tomb on which recline allegorical figures of Night and Day. On the opposite wall is the companion figure of Giuliano's nephew, Lorenzo de 'Medici, Duke of Urbino (1492-1519), with Dawn and Dusk on his tomb.
Subjects depicted
Collection
Accession number
REPRO.1881-10

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Record createdJuly 10, 2000
Record URL
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