Bust, terracotta, of Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici, by Antonio de' Benintendi, Italy, ca. 1512

The subject of the bust has been identified as Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici by comparison of the work with painted and medallic portraits. The bust must pre-date Giovanni's elevation to Pope in 1513 as he wears a biretta, the cap typically worn by cardinals. The dark-purple pigment of the biretta now appears black and a red band which edges the cap has been created by vermillion glazed with a layer of deep red paint. A white undershirt protrudes from the Cardinal's black over-garment. The bust is arranged in a peculiar manner, with the head projecting forward over the chest. Cast from life, the face has fleshy cheeks, hooded eyes and brows drawn together slightly furrowing the forehead.
The right shoulder is severely damaged as is the right side of the nose. A series of small firing cracks are visible, the most evident running from the top of the head, the forehead and the inner edge of the left eye, down the left cheek. Another major crack encircles the face.

Purchased under the bequest of Dr W. L. Hildburgh FSA

The bust was probably commissioned from Antonio de' Benintendi by Giovanni de' Medici after his return to Florence in 1512. The Medici family had been exiled from Florence from 1494 and 1512 and upon their return they commissioned such portrait images, in order to reinforce the power of the Medici family. Although information about the artistic career of
Antonio is scant, he is documented as having produced wax effigies of Leo X for the church of Santa Maria delle Carceri. in Prato in 1515 and 1524.
The bust was purchased by J. Pierpoint Morgan from Elia Volpi of Florence in May 1912; then sold by the Pierpont Morgan Library (NY) at Christies 11th December 1979 (lot 212) when it was bought by Howard Ricketts for £1,400; purchased by the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1982 for £2,800 (Hildburgh Fund).

Historical significance: By the mid-sixteenth century, when Vasari was writing, the use of polychrome images both in wax and clay was in decline, and all the wax images in the church of SS. Annunziata were lost following a fire in 1630. This bust of cardinal Giovanni is therefore a rare example of that practice, which combined technical knowledge and artistic skill to produce powerful images of an exceptional likeness.

The peculiar stance of the bust, with the head pushed forward, the unusual cut of the shoulders and the lack of paint on the back of the neck, all suggest that it was intended to be seen from below and was probably meant to be placed high up in a niche or above a doorway. It was common in Renaissance Florence to keep family bust portrait's in one's house, following Pliny’s reference to the habit of the ancient Romans who used to display portraits of their ancestors in order to prove their nobility.
The exceptional likeness is achieved by using a mould taken directly from the face of the subject. The practice of life casting was documented from thirteenth century onwards and a detailed account is given by Cennino Cennini in his Libro dell'Arte of about 1390. The face was first oiled in order to ease the separation of the plaster mould from the flesh, and breathing tubes were fixed in the nostrils. The mask was obtained by pressing clay into the plaster mould. The mask used in this bust covers a large area of the face, from beneath the chin to well above the forehead, a testament to the artists ability. The rest of the bust has been modelled and tool and finger marks are clearly evident in the hollow interior. another example of this type of portrait bust in the Museum's collection is the painted terracotta bust of Henry VII by Pietro Torrigiano, on display in the British Galleries.

Ascribed to Antonio de'Benintendi

By comparison with painted and medallic portraits, this bust has been identified as portraying Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici (1475-1521). He was elected pope in 1513, when he took the name of Leo X. The bust must have been made before that date, because he wears a biretta, the cap typically worn by cardinals. The dark-purple pigment of the biretta now appears black, and the red band has been created by vermilion glazed with a layer of deep red paint. Various features suggest that the bust was intended to be seen from below: its peculiar stance, with the head projected strongly forwards onto the chest, the unusual cut of the shoulders, and the lack of paint at the back of the neck. It was probably meant to be placed high up in a niche or above a doorway.

A.29-1982