Description
Plaster cast of a marble portrait-bust of Piero de'Medici. Original housed in the Bargello, Florence, Italy, circa 1454.
Publication Date
1978
Type of Artwork
Portrait bust
Time Period/Geographical Region
Renaissance Europe
Height (cm/in)
53.34 cm / 21 in
Width (cm/in)
48.26 cm / 19 in
Depth (cm/in)
22.86 cm / 9 in
Disciplines
Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture | Sculpture
Recommended Citation
Morehead State University. Camden-Carroll Library., "Bust of Piero di Cosimo de'Medici" (1978). Metropolitan Museum of Art Cast Collection. 26.
https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/metropolitan_art_collection/26
Files
Download
Download Image (207 KB)
Included in
Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Sculpture Commons
Comments
Piero de'Medici was the father of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and unofficial ruler of Florence from 1464 to 1469. A Latin inscription visible on the original marble bust records that Piero was portrayed at the age of 37. The diamond rings on the borders of his tunic are a Medici device, symbolizing strength and fidelity. The marble bust's original location may have been the Medici Palace in Florence; a 1492 inventory of the palace lists a bust of Piero among its artworks. The artist Mino da Fiesole sculpted religious figures and portraits of important Florentines, including members of the rival Medici and Strozzi families. Another plaster copy of this bust is in the world-renowned plaster cast collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The MSU plaster cast is notable for its added color, perhaps intended to bring the subject to life.