The Entombment of Christ, with Coat of Arms of the Grimani Family

Inscriptions

Label, on reverse, typed: BRONZE PLAQUE "The Entomb- / ment of Christ". Upper / Italian, End of 15th beginn- / ing of 16th Century; with / Coat of Arms of the Family / Grimani. Collection: Dr. / Eduard Simon, Berlin. A Sec- / ond example is in the Kaiser Friedrich Museum. Litera- / ture: E. Molinier, Les Pla- / quettes, Paris 1886, No. 125; / E. F. Bange, Die Italienischen / Bronzen, etc., Relief and / Statuetten, Katalog des Ber / liner Museums, 1922, Nr. [illeg.] 7.

Label

These low-relief images depict important religious narrative scenes and Christian figures. Representations of Christ’s descent from the cross and his burial were especially popular subjects because they visualized the physical nature of Christ’s death and resurrection; other scenes allowed viewers to meditate on specific saints or biblical stories. Devotional plaquettes had many uses and were commonly owned in Italy at the turn of the 16th century. Framed and attached to a handle, they could become a pax for use during the Mass. They could also be set into boxes or cabinet doors or pierced and hung on a wall in a private space. Small-scale plaquettes could even be kept in a pocket. The addition of a family’s coat of arms allowed patrons to further personalize a plaquette. While they were mass produced, plaquettes were often used for personal devotion, as suggested by the patterns of wear on the surface of these reliefs, which indicate repeated touching. This selection of plaquettes suggests the diversity of sculptural production for religious use in this period.

From the 2024 exhibition Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, curated by Elizabeth Rice Mattison, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programming and Curator of European Art, and Ashley Offill, Curator of Collections

Course History

ARTH 84, Media and Meaning in Renaissance Sculpture, Adrian Randolph, Fall 2013

ITAL 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Giorgio Alberti, Fall 2022

ITAL 1.02, Introductory Italian I, Andrea Zoller, Fall 2022

ITAL 1.03, Introductory Italian I, Andrea Zoller, Fall 2022

Italian 1.02, Introductory Italian I, Andrea Zoller, Winter 2023

Italian 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Giorgio Alberti, Winter 2023

Italian 11.01, Intensive Italian, Giorgio Alberti, Winter 2023

Art History 7.05, Pompeii: Antique & Modern, Ada Cohen, Winter 2023

Italian 2.01, Introductory Italian II, Andrea Zoller, Winter 2023

Italian 2.02, Introductory Italian II, Matteo Gilebbi, Winter 2023

Exhibition History

From Altarpiece to Portrait: Assembling a European Collection, Harrington Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 24, 2019 - January 28, 2020.

Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, Citrin Family Gallery and Engles Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 23, 2024–March 22, 2025.

Renaissance and Mannerist Plaquettes and Medals from the Collection of Roger Arvid Anderson, Class of 1968, Ivan Albright Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, September 19-November 21, 2013.

Publication History

Roger Arvid Anderson, The Roger Arvid Anderson Collection, Medals, Medallions, Plaquettes and Small Reliefs, Paintings, Sculpture, Works on Paper and Textiles, San Francisco: Roger Arvid Anderson (published privately), design by David L. Wilson, 2015, p. 159.

Provenance

Dr. Eduard Simon (1864-1929), Berlin, before 1929; sold Cassirer & Helbing, Berlin, "Die Summlung Dr. Eduard Simon," 11 October 1929, lot 113; New York art market; sold to Roger Arvid Anderson, San Francisco, California, date unknown; lent to present collection, 2011; given to present collection, 2016.

Catalogue Raisonne

E. Molinier, Les Plaquettes, Paris, 1886, no. 125

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