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Medallion portrait of Francesco Orsino, Duke of Gravina

Maker

Attributed to
(artist)
1616-1633

(artist)
1500-1599

Title

Medallion portrait of Francesco Orsino, Duke of Gravina

Date of Production

(circa) 1619

Medium

black chalk, pen and black and brown ink, grey and brown wash, white bodycolour on green-prepared paper with circular brown ink framing lines, laid down on a Type A Cassiano dal Pozzo mount

Dimensions

Height: 17 cm
Width: 16.8 cm

Accession Number

D.1965.XX.3

Mode of Acquisition

Carl Robert Rudolf, gift, 1965

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords








Related Works

Roundel with a portrait of Ferrante Orsino, Duke of Gravina

Label Text

This drawing is part of a series representing members of the Orsini family and other illustrious men of the time. It is thought to have belonged to the so-called 'Paper Museum' compiled by the scholar Cassiano dal Pozzo. The circular format and decorative border may indicate that the portraits were copied from an existing series of majolica plates (Italian Renaissance ceramics), carved reliefs or fresco paintings, which may have decorated a family palace or memorial chapel.

Notes

One of a series of 17 Orsini portrait medallions (see also D.1984.AB.28), once belonging to Cassiano dal Pozzo's 'Paper Museum'. Nicholas Turner had identified the artist as Bernardino Capitelli (in his 'Some copyists after the Antique employed by Cassiano' in 'The Paper Museum of Cassiano del Pozzo', ex. cat. 1993, pp. 29-31). Barbara Furlotti suggested instead a little-known artist named Giovanni Campagna, based on her discovery of the association between these portraits and engraved portraits in a manuscript titled 'Elogii di cento e piu personaggi illustri di casa Orsina scritte da Gio. Campagnia con li ritratti disegniati da lui' in the Archivio Storico Capitolino in Rome (see her article in file). Mark McDonald retained her attribution in his 2017 catalogue (also in file). The latter two authors date the drawings circa 1619 (see Furlotti p. 21 for explanation). Francesco Orsini (ca. 1387-1456) was 1st Duke of Gravina from 1436 and Prefect of Rome from 1435.

Provenance

Cassiano dal Pozzo (1588-1657); Dr Carl Robert Rudolf, London (1884-1974); given by him to The Courtauld, June 1965

Literature

Turner, Nicholas, 'Portrait of Napoleone Orsini II' in 'European Drawings: Catalogue of the collections', J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 2001
under no. 10

Furlotti, Barbara, 'New considerations on a set of portrait drawings of the Orsini Family by Giovanni Campagna' in 'Getty Research Journal', 2013 - 15-28; 5
p. 26 n. 3

Mark McDonald, Ceremonies, Costumes, Portraits and Genre, Royal Collection Trust and THe British Library in association with Harvey Miller Publishers 2017 - 1032; 3: The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo Series C: Prints
cat. 1665
fig. 1665, p. 942

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Collector's mark: none.

Inscription: Recto: within the drawing, around inner rim of the medallion, black ink: “FRANCESCO ORSINO DVCA DI GRAVINA ET PREFETTO DI ROMA”. Mount (Pozzo's), Recto: lower right, brown ink, Pozzo's number: “6”.

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