low-relief tondo in marble
diameter 42 cm. (16 ½ in.)
The theme of the profiles of illustrious men all’antica bears witness to the full assimilation of Antique culture by the Italian artists of the Quattrocento. This type of representation, which evokes the grandeur of Roman imperial sculpture as well as the preciousness of coins, medals and glyptic works, has long been neglected by critics, and only recently became a subject of interest among scholars and collectors (Middeldorf 1979; Caglioti 2007; Idem 2008; Bacci 2012; Caglioti 2012). This unfortunate disregard was partly due to the fact that such objects are hardly ever found in their original context, but can be found—as in the present case—in private and public collections.
