96 Items in this Learning Collection
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object

Copyright
All Rights Reserved ()

The Triumph of Plenty

Accession Number
1960/2.5

Title
The Triumph of Plenty

Artist(s)

Object Creation Date
circa 1600

Medium & Support
bronze

Dimensions
2 ½ in x 4 ¾ in x 3/16 in (6.35 cm x 12.07 cm x 0.48 cm);2 ½ in x 4 ¾ in x 3/16 in (6.35 cm x 12.07 cm x 0.48 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Label copy
March 28, 2009
Plaquettes are a class of small-scale relief sculptures, most often cast in bronze, that were first produced in Italy in the 1440s. Unlike bronze medals, which also appeared during this period and usually featured portraits, plaquettes typically depicted stories from Classical mythology, ancient history, and Christianity. Although scholars disagree over the original function, plaquettes often embellished utensils, boxes, and other types of furniture.
This plaquette depicts six figures riding on an ox-drawn wagon in a triumphal procession. They bear fruit and flowers symbolizing natural abundance and plenty. Five other plaquettes of the same series portray other allegorical figures such as War, Justice, and Humility. In his Trionfi (Triumphs), the Italian poet Petrarch (1304–1347) first popularized the idea of representing allegorical figures in triumphal processions, and the subject enjoyed great vogue in prints and metalwork of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Subject matter
This bronze plaque depicts a cart with several nude allegorical figures symbolizing natural fertility and abundance accompanied by their attendants who stand beside them. The plaque formerly belonged to a series of six plaques, each representing a different allegorical triumph that together decorated a casket, lampstand, or some other article of furniture.

Physical Description
This bronze plaque features a pair of oxen pulling a four-wheeled wagon with six passengers. The seated driver holds a rod in his right hand and a two-tined fork in his left. An older figure holding a flaming vessel stands behind him, followed by a seated figure wearing classical drapery and a laurel wreath. The next figure, seated in the middle of the cart, is an older female, nude to the waist, who holds a cornucopia full of fruit and raises her left hand to point skyward. Two smaller standing figures appear next, one holding a bowl of fruit. The final figure is a reclining female nude holding a flower in the crook of her right arm.

Primary Object Classification
Sculpture

Primary Object Type
bas-relief

Additional Object Classification(s)
Sculpture

Collection Area
Western

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
bronzes (visual works)
fruit (plant components)
literary theory
oxen
wagons (cargo vehicles)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted

On display

UMMA Gallery Location ➜ AMH, 1st floor ➜ 102 (Richard and Rosann Noel Gallery)