Giovanni Gioviano Pontano (1426–1503)

Adriano Fiorentino (Adriano di Giovanni de' Maestri)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pontano was a leading humanist and statesman at the court of Naples and the "tutor" of Duke Alfonso of Calabria. He was a passionate student of ancient authors, trying to reconcile their goals with Christianity, and from 1471 led the Neapolitan Academy that later bore his name. Fittingly, the humanist is shown in antique garb. Adriano Fiorentino, the artist of the portrait, arrived in Naples in about 1488, working there until 1495. He also made a bronze bust of the humanist and a portrait medal.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art