Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 111, The Gilbert Bayes Gallery

Charity

Medallion
1540-1546 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The art of plaquette making emerged in the south, in Nuremberg and Augsburg, about 1510–20. The plaquettes had the same multiple purpose as their Italian predecessors. They were used mainly by goldsmiths and in bronze foundries, but also by cabinetmakers. The models were carved in wood, stone, slate and wax, then reproduced in bronze and lead. Peter Flötner, a goldsmith and designer, was one of the most versatile artists in 16th- century Nuremberg. This relief together with inv.no. 7152-1860 belong to a series of Virtues.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCharity (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze in relief
Brief description
Bronze medallion, depicting Charity, from a set of eight Cardinal virtues by Peter Flötner, South Germany (Nuremburg), early 16th century
Physical description
Bronze medallion, depicting Charity with a seated female figure in a landscape supporting a child, while another looks over her shoulder
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 7cm
Credit line
Given by Sir John Charles Robinson
Object history
Given by Sir John Charles Robinson.
Historical context
From a set of eight Cardinal virtues by Peter Flötner
Subject depicted
Summary
The art of plaquette making emerged in the south, in Nuremberg and Augsburg, about 1510–20. The plaquettes had the same multiple purpose as their Italian predecessors. They were used mainly by goldsmiths and in bronze foundries, but also by cabinetmakers. The models were carved in wood, stone, slate and wax, then reproduced in bronze and lead. Peter Flötner, a goldsmith and designer, was one of the most versatile artists in 16th- century Nuremberg. This relief together with inv.no. 7152-1860 belong to a series of Virtues.
Bibliographic reference
Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1860. 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. 28
Collection
Accession number
7153-1860

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Record createdAugust 31, 2004
Record URL
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