Step end thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 50a, The Paul and Jill Ruddock Gallery

Step end

Step End
1490-1501 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This and fourteen other remarkable step ends in the V&A collection come from one of the most celebrated palaces in Florence. Commissioned by the wealthy merchant Giuliano Gondi, they display a variety of foliage and animals. One can be linked to a story in the Indian Panchatantra, or Fables of Bidpai, and others to Aesop’s Fables. Educated observers would have identified moral and political messages in this decoration.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleStep end
Materials and techniques
Grey sandstone, carved
Brief description
Step end, branch nuts and leaves, Palazzo Gondi, Florence
Physical description
Step end, stone, carved with a relief of a branch laden with leaves and nuts, surrounded on two sides by a toothed moulding.
Dimensions
  • Height: 17.2cm
  • Width: 44cm
  • Depth: 18.6cm
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Object history
From the Palazzo Gondi, Florence. Purchased in Florence (Bardini).
Subjects depicted
Summary
This and fourteen other remarkable step ends in the V&A collection come from one of the most celebrated palaces in Florence. Commissioned by the wealthy merchant Giuliano Gondi, they display a variety of foliage and animals. One can be linked to a story in the Indian Panchatantra, or Fables of Bidpai, and others to Aesop’s Fables. Educated observers would have identified moral and political messages in this decoration.
Bibliographic references
  • List of Objects in the Art Division South Kensington Museum acquired during the Year 1891. Arranged according to the dates of acquisition, with appendix and indices. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1892. pp. 10
  • Pope Hennessey, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1964. pp.186
Collection
Accession number
38-1891

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Record createdNovember 10, 2008
Record URL
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