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Portrait of the Emperor Vitellius
(Renaissance Europe )
In the well of the circular plate is painted the bust portrait of the Roman Emperor Vitellius in left profile, copied from an engraving (which itself was derived from a sculpture, rather than from a numismatic type). Possibly the inscription was an afterthought, because it is not concentric with the periphery of the well of the plate, in addition to it being misspelled. However, it was certainly gilt and fired at the time that the plate was enameled. The P of P[ontifex] is provided with the long bar found in the stamps of the Pénicaud workshop, used at the time it was under the direction of Jean Pénicaud II. The border is composed of gilt scrolls with alternating masks and vases in gold "camaïeu." The enameller copied a print by Marcantonio Raimondi, one of a series of the Twelve Caesars.
The back of the plate depicts a trefoiled ornament with three masks and sprays, and, in the border, light scrollwork designed in grisaille.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Charles Mannheim Collection [catalogue by E. Molinier, no. 168, attributed to Jean Pénicaud II]; J. Pierpont Morgan, New York, no. 985; Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1919, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1914 | Unknown Exhibition Title, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1914. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 7/9/1965 | Treatment | loss compensation; other |
Geographies
France, Limoges (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Diam: 7 5/8 in. (19.3 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1919
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
44.166