Authors
Christopher J. Condon '18, Gettysburg College
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Publication Date
Fall 2017
Department 1
Art
Abstract
The plaque depicting Cellini was donated to Gettysburg College by Reverend Jeremiah Zimmerman, Class of 1873, who later became a lecturer at Syracuse University and a frequent benefactor of Gettysburg College. A highly educated alum, Reverend Zimmerman became a clergyman and traveled the world for over a decade to further his studies, ranging from Asian culture to ancient coinage.
The plaque itself measures 32” x 26.75” x 2.5”, is of considerable weight for a porcelain plate, and is painted in the 19th century academic style to offer a dramatic interpretation of Benvenuto Cellini’s actions during the 1527 Sack of Rome. Specifically, the scene captures a dramatized (or even perhaps imagined) moment of Cellini outside the Castel Sant’Angelo, the site of a fortress used by the Holy See to defend against outside invaders. [excerpt]
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Condon, Christopher J., "In Defense of His Holiness: The Cellini Plaque" (2017). Wonders of Nature and Artifice. 25.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/wonders_exhibit/25
Included in
Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Fine Arts Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Industrial and Product Design Commons, Intellectual History Commons
Comments
Produced as part of a collaboration between Kay Etheridge's course FYS-188: Exploration of the Marvelous: Art and Science in the Renaissance, and Felicia Else's course ARTH 284: Wonders of Nature and Artifice: The Renaissance Quest for Knowledge.
Original version online at http://wonder-cabinet.sites.gettysburg.edu/2017/cabinet/cellini-and-the-sack-of-rome/