Collection Online as of June 5, 2023

Head of a Man

1520–1525

circle of Michel Colombe

(French, c. 1430–c. 1513)

France, 15th century

Marble

Overall: 14 x 12.2 x 8 cm (5 1/2 x 4 13/16 x 3 1/8 in.)

Gift of William G. Mather 1921.1003

Location

110B Late Gothic

Description

The original context and function of these two marble heads are unknown. They are presumed to have been part of a relief sculpture from a château, perhaps in the Loire region, or else from a tomb sculpture. Their style is reminiscent of sculptures produced by Michel Colombe, a prominent sculptor active in the Loire Valley in the service of aristocratic and royal patrons, and may have been carved by a close follower or member of his workshop.

Provenance

(Arnold Seligmann, Rey and Co., Inc., New York).

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1925. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 18 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1928. Reproduced: p. 21 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 180 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 73 archive.org

Wixom, William D. Treasures from Medieval France. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 332-333; cat. no. VII-20 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 73 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 83 archive.org

Exhibition history

CMA 1975: Traditions and Revisions, cat. no. 56.

Metropolitan Museum of Art (9/26/2006 - 2/19/2007): "Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Sculpture"

The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).

35th Anniversary Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 20-September 30, 1951).

Treasures of Medieval France. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1966-January 29, 1967).

Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).

Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Sculpture. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (September 26, 2006-February 19, 2007).