The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

c. 1455–60
(Italian, c. 1430–1484)
(Italian, c. 1430–1484)
Italy, Florence, 15th century
marble with traces of bole (red clay) and limestone with traces of paint
Overall: 83 x 84 x 25 cm (32 11/16 x 33 1/16 x 9 13/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2009.271
Location: 117A Italian Renaissance

Did You Know?

Traces of paint on this white marble relief indicated that it was once brightly painted.

Description

Renowned Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar (100–44 BCE) appears here as a political rather than military leader, worn by the burdens of office, with carefully described signs of aging. Mino probably used ancient coins from the collection of the Medici, Florence's ruling family, as his starting point for this sculpture. However, the complex carving, the clinging drapery, and the psychological intensity all characterize the inventiveness Renaissance artists brought to classical subject matter. In this case, Caesar offered an important model for leadership, masculinity, and composure. The garland is clearly by a different hand, but passages, such as the ribbons and flowers in low relief, correspond to details found in other decorative carvings from Mino's workshop. Initially, the limestone setting was probably put into a wall, perhaps in a lunette over the door, from which it was later removed. However, the relationship between the garland and the relief has not yet been clarified and is the subject of ongoing research.
  • Private Collection (Bourges, France), sold to a private dealer and Gertrud Rudigier
    Private dealer and Gertrud Rudigier (Munich, Germany), sold to Gertrud Rudigier, 2008
    Gertrud Rudigier, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 2009
  • Treasures of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Scala Books, 2012.London, United Kingdom: Scala Books, 2012. Reproduced: p. 140-141
    Calzona, Arturo, and Matteo Ceriana. Per un nuovo Agostino di Duccio: studi e documenti. VeronaItaly: Scripta, 2012. Reproduced: fig. 9, Mentioned: p. 85-86
    Paolozzi Strozzi, Beatrice, and Marc Bormand. The Springtime of the Renaissance: Sculpture and the Arts in Florence 1400-60. Firenze, Italy: Mandragora, 2013. Reproduced: p. 484-485
    Bormand, Marc, and Beatrice Paolozzi Strozzi. Le printemps de la Renaissance la sculpture et les arts à Florence, 1400-1460 : [exposition, Florence, Palazzo Strozzi, 23 mars-18 août 2013 ; Paris, Musée du Louvre, 26 septembre 2013-6 janvier 2014]. Paris: Musée du Louvre, 2013. Reproduced: p. 485, fig. X.6
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 172
  • The Springtime of the Renaissance. Sculpture and the Arts in Florence, 1400-1460. Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze, Italy (March 21-August 18, 2013); Musée du Louvre, Paris, France (organizer) (September 23, 2013-January 6, 2014).
    The Springtime of the Renaissance: Sculpture and the Arts in Florence. Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy (March 21-August 18, 2013); Musée du Louvre, Paris, France (September 23, 2013 - January 8, 2014).
  • {{cite web|title=Julius Caesar|url=false|author=Mino da Fiesole, Mino da Fiesole and Workshop|year=c. 1455–60|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2009.271