{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O127797"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127797/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BT6366/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BT6366/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BT6366","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BT6365","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BT6364","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2016JA0561","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2019LM7439","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2019LM7440","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O127797/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O127797","accessionNumber":"REPRO.1895-103","objectType":"Bust","titles":[{"title":"Bust of a child","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"This is a plaster cast of a marble original portrait bust of a child probably by Desiderio da Settignano, made in about 1455-1460 in Florence (Italy). \r\n\r\nThe bust was purchased in Italy in 1848 by Eugene Piot and passed through the collections of Paul van Cuyck, Charles Timbal and Gustave Dreyfus, before entering the National Gallery of Art with the Andrew Mellon Collection. Traditionally ascribed to Donatello (1386-1466), the attribution to Desiderio, first suggested by Perkins in 1869, is now generally accepted. The bust is dated to 1455-60 because of stylistic analogies with the putti on Desiderio's Marsuppini tomb of c. 1453-60 in S. Croce, Florence (of which a cast, museum no. 1891-129, is in the V&A's collections), and with the Blessing Christ Child of S. Lorenzo Tabernacle of 1461. \n\nDesiderio da Settignano, (Desiderio de Bartolomeo di Francesco detto Ferro (c. 1428 or 1430 – 1464) was an Italian sculptor active during the Renaissance.\r\nHe came from a family of stone carvers and stonemasons. His work is influenced by Donatello, but very likley he was trained in the large Florentine workshop run by Bernardo and Antonio Rossellino.\n\nPlaster casts were especially sought after during the 19th century, when reproductions of great works of sculpture and architecture were thought crucial for the training of artists. A separating substance was applied to the surface of the work to be reproduced, and a plaster mould made from that. The mould would then be used to make any number of additional plaster copies. These were often sold to artists, and later in the century to art colleges for study purposes.","physicalDescription":"Portrait bust of a child. ","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Desiderio da Settignano","id":"A2380"},"association":{"text":"sculptor","id":"AAT25181"},"note":"of original"}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"plaster","id":"AAT14922"}],"techniques":[{"text":"casting","id":"AAT53104"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Plaster cast painted","categories":[{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"},{"text":"Children & Childhood","id":"THES48980"},{"text":"Plaster Cast","id":"THES270451"},{"text":"Portraits","id":"THES48906"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SCP","id":"THES48600"},"images":["2008BT6366","2008BT6365","2008BT6364","2016JA0561","2019LM7439","2019LM7440"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"46B","id":"THES49798"},"free":"","case":"FS","shelf":"N","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Bust","id":""}],[{"text":"Plaster Cast","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Florence (city)","id":"x28848"},"association":{"text":"sculpted","id":"x30774"},"note":"original"},{"place":{"text":"Paris","id":"x29068"},"association":{"text":"cast","id":"x32615"},"note":"France; probably, plaster cast"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1455-1460","earliest":"1455-01-01","latest":"1460-12-31"},"association":{"text":"sculpted","id":"x30774"},"note":"original"},{"date":{"text":"ca. 1895","earliest":"1890-01-01","latest":"1899-12-31"},"association":{"text":"cast","id":"x32615"},"note":"cast"}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Gustave Dreyfus","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"27","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"26","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"15.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Given by Gustave Dreyfus in 1895.","historicalContext":"This bust was purchased in Italy in 1848 by Eugene Piot and passed through the collections of Paul van Cuyck, Charles Timbal and Gustave Dreyfus, before entering the National Gallery of Art with the Andrew Mellon Collection. Traditionally ascribed to Donatello (1386-1466), the attribution to Desiderio, first suggested by Perkins in 1869, is now generally accepted. The bust is dated to 1455-60 because of stylistic analogies with the putti on Desiderio's Marsuppini tomb of c.1453-60 in S. Croce, Florence (of which a cast, museum no. 1891-129, is in the V&A's collections), and with the Blessing Christ Child of S. Lorenzo Tabernacle of 1461.","briefDescription":"Plaster cast, painted plaster, of an original marble bust of a child, in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., USA, by Desiderio da Settignano, Italy (Florence), ca. 1455-60, cast probably in France (Paris), ca. 1895","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"child","id":"x31382"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"The portrait of an unknown child is remarkable for the naturalistic face and curls of hair. The boy’s melancholy gaze gives the bust a haunting quality. Many of the sculptures now attributed to Desiderio were once thought to be by his famous contemporary, the Renaissance master Donatello. This may explain why the Museum’s collection includes many casts of Desiderio’s work.","date":{"text":"2014","earliest":"2014-01-01","latest":"2014-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["REPRO.1895-103"],"accessionNumberNum":"103","accessionNumberPrefix":"REPRO","accessionYear":1895,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LN5677","2019LT6924","2019LW9232"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2006-09-15","availableToBook":false}}