Pietro Mellini was a wealthy Florentine merchant who commissioned a marble bust of himself from famous sculptor Benedetto da Maiano. The original bust was made in 1474 and is now in the Museo del Bargello in Florence. During the late Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance, the portrait style in painting as well as in sculpts went away from idealized forms to a (sometimes merciless) realism, showing facial deformities, disfigurements and simple plainness as the were in reality. We can therefore assume that the sceptical frown of Melllini's bust was the portrayed's usual facial impression (maybe enhanced by the long boring sessions for the artist ...).

The 3D-model is from the Danish Statens Museum for Kunst, downloaded from Myminifactory. There are several models of the Mellini bust on various platforms, but the SMK's is the best. I enhanced the brocade pattern, some facial details and parts of the hair and the clothing in Nomad Sculpt before printing the bust in roughly 1/8 scale on my Anycubic Photon Mono.

I decided to paint the face in all its realistic features, with broken veins, skin blemishes and old scars. I stark contrast to the time worn, creased face of the elderly Mellini stands his fine clothing: a dark purplish wollen cloak with silk lining and a fringe of dark fur, and a fine linen tunic in bright amaranth red with a dark green arabesque pattern. The color scheme I took from portray paintings of other rich Italians of Mellini's time period.

  • Jarek

    Awesome! I really like the fabric.
    Also, it’s good to know the story, Benedetto da Maiano rocks;)

  • Richard Duebell

    @Jarek: Thank you very much! Benedetto was a master of his art and even had some influence on Michelangelo Buonarotti.

  • Melnikov Ivan "Nakatan"

    Voted gold

  • Jakob VPLUS

    Really great! Very realistic painting - impressive

  • Richard Duebell

    @Nakatan & Jakob: Thank you so much, guys!

  • eric wolfsPLUS

    really impressive ! gold