The Prophet Balaam

Tommaso Porlezza della Porta, 1575 - 1577

This sculpted modello or bozzetto is a design for a statue of the prophet Balaam intended for the basilica of the pilgrimage site of Loreto in Central Italy. The church was built around the Santa Casa, the house where, according to legend, the Virgin was born. The statuette stands out for its virtuoso modelling, as in the figure’s right arm and hand. It was long thought to be by Michelangelo.

  • Artwork typemodello
  • Object numberBK-2010-11
  • Dimensionsheight 22.5 cm

Identification

  • Title(s)

    The Prophet Balaam

  • Object type

  • Object number

    BK-2010-11

  • Description

    Voorstudie in terracotta voor één van de zittende profeten van het Santa Casa in de basiliek van Loreto.

Creation

  • Creation

    • sculptor: Tommaso Porlezza della Porta, Rome
    • sculptor: Tommaso Porlezza della Porta, Loreto

  • Dating

    1575 - 1577

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Material and technique

  • Dimensions

    height 22.5 cm

This work is about

  • Subject

Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    Purchased with the support of the BankGiro Lottery, a private collector and the Migelien Gerritzen Fonds/Rijksmuseum Fonds

  • Acquisition

    purchase 2010-06-01

  • Copyright

    Public domain

Documentation

    • Documentatiemap Beeldhouwkunst & Kunstnijverheid.
    • 'De profeet Balaam', Jaarverslag 2010 Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, p. 8.
    • G. Panofsky, 'Tommaso della Porta’s Castles in the Air', Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes' 56 (1993), p. 119-167.
    • P. Rotondi, Sculture e bozzetti lauretani. Contributi alla scultura italiana del cinquecento, Urbino 1941, p. 17-21, fig. 6.

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  • The Prophet Balaam
  • The Prophet Balaam
  • The Prophet Balaam
  • The Prophet Balaam