Bust of a Classical Hero or Emperor (early to mid-1500s): Art, History and Details

Bust of a Classical Hero or Emperor (early to mid-1500s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Girolamo della Robbia (Italian, 1488–1566).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This bust most likely represents an emperor or condottiere from classical antiquity, and probably formed part of a series of classical heads. Such groups of worthies were featured as decorative schemes in the studioli and architectural projects of Renaissance statesmen. Attesting to the sophistication of their learned patrons, these busts also provided the opportunity for artists to explore the contemporary stylistic relevance of classical portraiture—a source of fascination and inspiration for Florentine sculptors of this period.

Object facts

• Title: Bust of a Classical Hero or Emperor
• Date: early to mid-1500s
• Creator attribution: Girolamo della Robbia (Italian, 1488–1566)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: glazed terracotta
• Dimensions: Overall: 37.5 x 37.5 x 21 cm (14 3/4 x 14 3/4 x 8 1/4 in.)
• Collection: Sculpture
• Department: European Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 2013.31

A detail from the museum

Head-and-shoulders portraits, known as busts, were popular from Roman times.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Cambareri, Marietta, Abigail Hykin, and Courtney Leigh Harris. Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence. 2016. catalogue no. 53

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.