Ruth Leon recommends… The Mantuan Roundel – Metropolitan Museum

The Mantuan Roundel – Metropolitan Museum

 In this excellent discussion from the Metropolitan Museum, Dr Sarah E. Lawrence, (Curator in Charge of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts), and Curator Denise Allen, (from the same Met department), tell us about an extremely rare bronze relief.

The Mantuan Rondel is attributed to Gian Marco Cavalli, an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, print engraver, and medallist who worked for the Gonzaga court in Mantua. Created around 1500, it is both the largest and one of the most technically sophisticated examples of an early Renaissance bronze roundel.

Lavishly embellished with gilding and silver inlay, the beautifully rendered configuration shows four figures – Mars, Venus and Cupid with Vulcan at his forge – from Roman mythology. Golden-winged Venus, goddess of love, raptly gazes at Mars, while her husband Vulcan fabricates the war god’s helmet. Standing on her lap, her son Cupid points love’s arrow toward Mars and scowls at Vulcan who has left unfinished the infant god’s small wings, without which he cannot hit his mark.

This  Mantuan Rondel  provides new insights into the experimentation and impeccable craftsmanship that are the hallmarks of early North Italian bronzes.

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