Neptune

This plaque, depicting Neptune, is possibly made by Giovanni Bandinelli in North Italy in the first half of the 16th century.

Plaquettes are small plaques or reeliefs made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440ies with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from ancient Greece and Rome. Some were made as collector's pieces, to be viewed and displayed in private, and others for practical purposes. They also inspired designs in other media, from architecture to bookbindings.