Provenance

Professor Elia Volpi

Italian, 1858 - 1938

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Shown from the waist up, an older, pale-skinned man wearing clerical robes gestures to our right with one hand and turns his head to look off to our left in this vertical portrait painting. His shoulders angle to our right, and that arm hangs by his side. His other arm is bent at the elbow, and the hand is held palm up so the fingers loosely point to our right. His gaunt face turns to our left, and he looks off with dark, deep-set eyes under heavy, curved brows. He has a high forehead, a long, thin, hooked nose, and hollow cheeks. His full, smoke-gray beard is painted with blended strokes so appears soft. His crimson-red hat comes to four rounded points over ear-length, dark gray hair. An elbow-length red cape has buttons down the front, and he wears a white garment with a red cuff around the hand we can see. The man is lit from our left in front of a brown background.
Titian, Cardinal Pietro Bembo, 1539/1540, oil on canvas, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1952.5.28

Cardinal Pietro Bembo

Titian · 1539/1540 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1952.5.28

Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman wearing a muted red gown and shimmering coat stands against a stone column in front of a landscape in this vertical portrait painting. Her body angles to our left, and she looks off in that direction with gray eyes under curved brows. She has a round face with a slightly snub nose, flushed cheeks, double chin, and her thin lips are closed. Her strawberry blond hair is pulled back under a band wrapped with pearls. Her copper-red dress has a square neckline lined with lace, and a gold and pearl belt is looped around her waist as a long strand lies down the front of her skirt and off the bottom edge of the canvas. The voluminous coat she wears has a high, flaring collar lined with lace or patterned with black lines against white. The pale, almost iridescent golden-red fabric of the coat has a sheen, suggesting satin or silk, and it is decorated down the front, over the shoulders, and down the sleeves with a geometric design in copper red. The cuffs of the coat are lined with lace, and the woman wears a gold and silver earring in the ear we see and a strand of white pearls around her neck. The woman drapes her left arm, to our right, over the chest-high base of the column, and holds a ring of leaves in that hand. The other hand is by her side as she holds the coat belt to curve like a swag across her body. A pair of palm fronds feather out against the column that fills the right half of the background. A deep landscape on the left half has rolling hills, trees, and mountains reaching back to the horizon under a sky with puffy white clouds. A white unicorn lies on one hill and a dog chases an animal farther back. Beyond that, a person walking along a path back may carry a sack. The tonalities of the whole painting are shaded yellow, and some areas of the woman’s face and neck are in-painted in slightly different shades of pale peach. An inscription carved into the base of the column reads, “SI FATA TVLISSENT.”
Titian, Gian Paolo Pace, Irene di Spilimbergo, c. 1560, oil on canvas, Widener Collection, 1942.9.83

Irene di Spilimbergo

Titian, Gian Paolo Pace · c. 1560 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1942.9.83

This painting shows four people, three adults and one child. On the left, an elderly man stands, holding a staff in one hand and a red book in the other. He has a long white beard and a balding head, and he wears a black robe. Next to him, in the center, a woman sits, slightly turned to the left and leaning forward, with her hands supporting a child in her lap. The woman wears a red dress with a dark blue hooded cloak, while the child is nude. To the right, another adult stands wearing a pink robe with a crown over their shoulder-length hair, holding a rod and a sphere. All of the people have pale skin, and the three on the right have blond hair. They all have golden halos around their heads. The background is golden, and the floor has a marbled tile pattern. A small brown pig is on the ground at the feet of the old man.
Neroccio de' Landi, Madonna and Child with Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Sigismund, c. 1490/1495, tempera on panel, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1952.5.17

Madonna and Child with Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Sigismund

Neroccio de' Landi · c. 1490/1495 · tempera on panel ·  Accession ID  1952.5.17

Italian 20th Century, Madonna Adoring the Child, c. 1900, terracotta with traces of polychromy, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1943.4.82

Madonna Adoring the Child

Italian 20th Century · c. 1900 · terracotta with traces of polychromy ·  Accession ID  1943.4.82

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Cassone with Garlands and Cupids

Italian 16th Century · second half 16th century · walnut with gilded gesso ·  Accession ID  1942.9.359

Italian 16th Century, Table with Green Marble Top, 16th century, walnut, pine, marble, and gilding, Widener Collection, 1942.9.402

Table with Green Marble Top

Italian 16th Century · 16th century · walnut, pine, marble, and gilding ·  Accession ID  1942.9.402

Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman wearing rust-red gown under a sumptuous coat stands near a window, through which a sinking ship is shown in this vertical portrait painting. The woman’s body and head are angled to our right as she looks out at us with dark gray eyes. She has a nose with a rounded tip, a thin upper and full lower lip, and a slight double chin. Her red hair is pulled back and a braid wrapped around the back of her head. She wears a pearl and gemstone earring in the ear we see and a short, white pearl necklace. The bodice of her dress has a square neckline with black lines creating a vegetal pattern on the white fabric. That fabric continues up the sides of her chest and around her neck so a ruffle along the top flares out from her chin line. Letters along the inner edge of the fabric read “AV” to the left and “DIM+T” to the right. A gold jeweled belt encircles her waist, and one end hangs down the front of her long skirt, which is painted with a sheen suggesting velvet. The woman’s jacket is sand-brown, and it falls straight and heavy from her shoulders. The sides of the front opening, sleeves, and shoulders are decorated with knotted designs in brick red. Lace peeks out of each cuff, and the woman holds the coat belt loosely in her right hand, to our left. The wall behind her is dark stone, and her other hand rests on a stone ledge in front of the window. Through the opening is a stormy sky, choppy sea, and a masted ship listing hard to our left.
Titian, Gian Paolo Pace, Emilia di Spilimbergo, c. 1560, oil on canvas, Widener Collection, 1942.9.82

Emilia di Spilimbergo

Titian, Gian Paolo Pace · c. 1560 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1942.9.82

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Velvet Table Cover

Italian 16th Century · c. 1500/1599 · embroidered velvet: dyed silk warp and weft; spun silver-gilt, yellow silk, and linen thread; silver-gilt tinsel; silver-gilt sequins; paper; light blue taffeta ·  Accession ID  1942.9.471

The sculpture features a person sitting atop a highly decorated base. The person is a man with horns, cloven feet, and a muscular torso. He is nude except for a leaf covering his groin, and he holds a pan flute. He looks up and to the left with an open mouth. Below the seated man, the base of the sculpture is adorned with intricate patterns and reliefs, including winged people, human faces, shells, animals, and cherubs. The sculpture is on a base supported by crouching figures. The sculpture is made of dark-gray material with a metallic sheen, giving it a monochromatic appearance.
Paduan 16th Century, Venetian 16th Century, Incense Burner, c. 1560/1580, bronze, Widener Collection, 1942.9.139

Incense Burner

Paduan 16th Century, Venetian 16th Century · c. 1560/1580 · bronze ·  Accession ID  1942.9.139

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Walnut Savonarola Chair with Medici Arms

Italian 16th Century · 16th century · walnut ·  Accession ID  1942.9.396

Bibliography

1911

  • "Le Palais Davanzati." Les Arts 116 (August 1911).

1916

  • Art Treasures and Antiquities from the famous Davanzati Palace [sale catalogue]. American Art Association, New York, 21-25 November 1916.

1970

  • Towner, Wesley. The Elegant Auctioneers (New York, 1970), 319-320, 374, 380, 381, 422, 423, 424.