Portuguese, Lisbon, circa 1575

the front with an 18th-century inscription: DIOGO DE PAYVA DE ANDRADE, the reverse inscribed with calligraphic engraving:

H ancce JACOBI DE PAYVA DE ANDRADE aeneam Effigiem diutinè in S. Nicolai Tolentinatis Sacello, quod erat apud Augustinianos in Templo Lisbonesi Deiparae à Gratia conservatam, ubi ab anno millesimo quingentesimo septuagesimo quinto JACOBUS ipse sepultus jacebat prout proximo exarata lusitana, in eodemmet Templo adhuc asservata, indicat inscriptio = Aqui jaz Diogo de Payva d Andrada Doctor insigne na sagrada Theologia, o qual no Concilio Tridentino, onde foi de idade de 33 annos por madado de EIRey Do Sebastiao, e nos livros que escreveo cotra Ereges, e na rar doctrina de suas pregaçoes mostrou tata erudiçao, e zelo da Fe Catolica, que bem mereceo o muito nome, e grade fama que deixou. Foi filho de Fernao d Alvares d Andrada do – Concelho de Estado de EIRey Dom Joao o III, e que decendeo per linha direita do nobre sanguedos Condes d Andrada de Galiza. Faleceo de idade de quarenta et sete annos o p° de Dezebro de – 1575. Dona Joanna de Noroña, filha da Condesa de Linhares sur Irma Ihe mandou concertar e sta Capela, e a dotou com obrigaçao de Missa perpetua quotidiana = Inhibí in praedicti Sacelli pariete è regione Altaris, infra que aediculam, in qua parvum S. Augustini simulacrum lapide um venerabateur, D. Joanna de Noroña Comitissae de Linhares ejusdemmet JACOBI germanae sororis filia, unà sequentibius supposito sculptis lapide distichis aponi curavit:

Condiderat Payvam marmor telure sub ima,
Payvam munifici munera rara Dei.
Augustinus ait nostra sub Sede latebit
Payva, cui haec Sedes lumina prima dedit.
Tum vocat aes, gratos que Viri sub limune vultus
Restituti, gremio Pignora grata fovens.
Ergo si terris umbram, Augustine, tueris,
Quem teneat Coelo, te duce, Payva locum?

Cum vero fatali diei primae Novembris Anni 1755 Terraemotu sacra corrueret Domus, dein que è loco sublata, quo incolumis remanserat, memorata Effigies in obscuram indies traheretur oblivionem, hanc, decurrente, Anno à Virginis partu M.DCC.LXXI. interclufit jacturam, eruditorum Patronus, Scientiarum que in Luistania Restitutor, Illustrissimus, ac Excellentissumus Dominus Marchio de Pombal SEBASTIANUS
JOSEPHUS DE CARVALHO E MELLO, quippè qui JACOBI DE PAYVA DE ANDRADE memoriae consulens, ipsius Effigiem servare, ac à temporum injuria tueri sit dignatus.

(This bronze medallion showing JACOPO DE PAYVA DE ANDRADE was for many years in the chapel of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino which was in the Augustine church dedicated to the Mother of God, in Lisbon. It was there that Jacopo was buried in 1575, as attested by the following Portuguese inscription which was discovered nearby and which is still in the church:
Here lies Diogo de Payva de Andrade, distinguished doctor in theology who, by
his presence at the age of 33 years at the Council of Trent mandated by king Don
Sebastien; by the books he wrote against heresy; by his erudite sermons, the
doctrines he preached and by the fervour of his Catholic faith, thus earned the
renown he so deserves. Son of Fernao d’Alvares d’Andrada – Counsellor to King
Jon Joao III, and who descended directly from the noble line of Andrade de Galice.
He died at 47 years old, on the first of December 1575. Dona Joanna de
Noronha, daughter of the Countess of Linhares, his sister, (…).
In the wall opposite the altar in this chapel, under the niche where there was
small stone statue of Saint Augustine, Dona Joanna de Noronha, Countess
of Linhares and Jacopo’s niece, had the following lines engraved onto a
stone which was added on:

Payva has been hidden by marble in the depths of the earth,
Payva who had received rare gifts from God.
Augustine said: Our Throne will cover and protect Payva,
Like this throne gave him the first light.
This bronze must throw light upon the beautiful face of the Man
And bring out his fine features.
So, if you are protecting his shadow on this earth, Augustine,
To what place are you taking Payva in heaven?

The church was destroyed by the disastrous earthquake of November 1st, 1755; the medallion was recovered intact from the ruins but was forgotten about until such time as the Protector of Letters and Restorer of Sciences in Portugal, the Most Famous and Most Excellent SEBASTIEN JOSEPH DE CARVALHO E MELLO, Marquis de Pombal, made amends for this negligence. In so doing, the memory of JACOPO DE PAYVA DE
ANDRADE has been preserved and protected from the ravages of time.)

Tomb of Jacopo de Payva de Andrade, Church of Our Lady of Grace, Chapel of St Nicholas de Tolentino, Lisbon, until 1755
Sebastião José de Carvalho Melo e Daun, 4th Count of Oeiras and 4th Marquess of Pombal
Christie's London, 1 July 1997, lot 59

Overall the condition of the bronze is very good. There is some wear and minor dirt to the surface consistent with age, with some rubbing on the high points of the relief and a few minor nicks. There is an original patch to the background at the back of the shoulders. The bronze has been regilded and there is minor tarnishing to the gilding throughout. The two screws may be associated. The silvering on the plaque on the reverse is rubbed throughout and there are several scratches on the surface. There is oxidation to the surface consistent with the material. There are a few circular pegs near the edge on the left. There is some minor wear to the edges of the modern mount and the corners of the base. The base is composed in sections.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Payva has been hidden by marble in the depths of the earth,
Payva who had received rare gifts from God.
Augustine said: Our Throne will cover and protect Payva,
Like this throne gave him the first light.
This bronze must throw light upon the beautiful face of the Man
And bring out his fine features.
So, if you are protecting his shadow on this earth, Augustine,
To what place our you taking Payva in heaven?

Recorded in a later inscription in Latin on the back of the present bronze, this tender poem composed by the sitter’s niece accompanied the portrait when it was first placed at his tomb in the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Lisbon.

The sitter is sixteenth-century Portugese theologian, Diogo Payva de Andra, celebrated internationally by his peers for his extraordinary humanist and biblical knowledge, and his mesmerising oratorical skills. He was chosen by the king, Don Sebastian, to be Portugal’s representative at the Council of Trent. His austere appearance in the present bronze, with protruding lower jaw and thick lips, suggests a portrait that captures not only the physical likeness of the sitter, but also some of his character, defined by philosophical rigour.

The present medallion is an extreme rarity: few bronze Renaissance works can with certainty be traced back to Portugal. The inscription notes how the church in which it was placed suffered badly in an earthquake of 1755; it was only recovered in 1771 by the Marquis de Pombal who led the vast task of reconstruction. It is also one of only a few known bronze funerary plaques from the regions of Spain and Portugal; another was made for the tomb of Suarez de Figueroa in the cloisters of the cathedral in Badajoz.

The style of representing figures more realistically was prevalent at the end of the sixteenth century. The present bronze falls into the Italian tradition of Renaissance medal making, suggesting that an Italian sculptor active in Portugal may have been involved here. The rarity of its provenance and the prestige of its sitter make this work one of particular quality and importance.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Babelon, Jacopo da Trezzo et la construction de l’Escurial. Essai sur les arts à la cour de Philippe II 1519-1589, Paris, 1922; J. Babelon, 'Le tombeau de Dona Juana de Portugal', Revue de l’Art Ancien et Moderne, 1913, vol. xxxiii, pp. 307-316; A. Cloulas, 'La sculpture funéraire dans l’Espagne de la Renaissance. Le mécénat aristocratique', Gazette des Beaux Arts, October 1992, vol. cxx, p. 102; Grande enciclopédia portuguese brasileira, vol. xx, pp. 23-24