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Lot Essay
Andrea Della Robbia was particularly well-known for his tender and intimate depictions of the Virgin with the Christ Child. In the present relief the Virgin is enthroned and Christ stands on her lap, his right hand raised in blessing; with her right hand the Virgin protects her son from falling, and with her left she absently plays with his toes as she looks past him as if caught up in her own thoughts. The simple scene transforms the story of the son of God into a portrait of the everyday love of a mother and child.
The present composition adorns the predella of Andrea's monumental altarpiece in the Duomo at Arezzo, showing the Holy Trinity between Saints Bernardo and Donato (Gentilini, op. cit., p. 203). This depiction of the Virgin and Child was one of Andrea's most successful compositions and evidently encouraged several repeat commissions. Marquand listed seven versions in rectangular, oval and the present form, including examples in the Bode Museum, Berlin and in the collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein (Marquand, loc. cit.), although he did not know of the present example in a private collection. Although the most obvious explanation for the creation of this model was for the predella at Arezzo, which was made between 1485-6, Gentilini lists an example of the composition from the Luzzetti collection in Florence which he dates as early as circa 1480 (ibid, pp. 186 and 221).
The details of the edges of the Madonna’s drapery, its subtle folds, the attitude of the figures and the modest scale indicate that this relief was meant to be viewed from close proximity and therefore made for private devotion. Such works were often acquired to mark significant family events such as marriage and births, and these objects became part of the lives of their owners. Giovanni Dominici, a Dominican monk who preached in Florence at the beginning of the fifteenth century believed that works of art could play a role in raising children to become devout Christians and good Florentine citizens (Cambareri, op. cit., pp. 89-91). He advised parents to allow children to interact with such objects by kneeling in front of them or decorating them with flowers, with the aim to instil a sense of familiarity and reverence towards Mary, Jesus and other holy figures.
Andrea was himself particularly influenced by the moral teachings of Savanorola; two of his sons, also important sculptors, became Dominican friars. The present sculpture is an example of how Andrea's work was often simpler in design than that of his uncle, Luca Della Robbia, in order to stimulate greater reverence in the viewer. The blue glaze represents the heavens and the luminous white exemplifies innocence and piety. Such images became symbolic to Florence, seen throughout the city from street corners to the cathedral, emphasizing the role that works of art held in the public imagination of day-to-day life.
A thermoluminescence test carried out by Re.S.Artes, Bordeaux, on 23 April 2018, states that the date of the last firing of the relief is compatible with the proposed dating.
The present composition adorns the predella of Andrea's monumental altarpiece in the Duomo at Arezzo, showing the Holy Trinity between Saints Bernardo and Donato (Gentilini, op. cit., p. 203). This depiction of the Virgin and Child was one of Andrea's most successful compositions and evidently encouraged several repeat commissions. Marquand listed seven versions in rectangular, oval and the present form, including examples in the Bode Museum, Berlin and in the collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein (Marquand, loc. cit.), although he did not know of the present example in a private collection. Although the most obvious explanation for the creation of this model was for the predella at Arezzo, which was made between 1485-6, Gentilini lists an example of the composition from the Luzzetti collection in Florence which he dates as early as circa 1480 (ibid, pp. 186 and 221).
The details of the edges of the Madonna’s drapery, its subtle folds, the attitude of the figures and the modest scale indicate that this relief was meant to be viewed from close proximity and therefore made for private devotion. Such works were often acquired to mark significant family events such as marriage and births, and these objects became part of the lives of their owners. Giovanni Dominici, a Dominican monk who preached in Florence at the beginning of the fifteenth century believed that works of art could play a role in raising children to become devout Christians and good Florentine citizens (Cambareri, op. cit., pp. 89-91). He advised parents to allow children to interact with such objects by kneeling in front of them or decorating them with flowers, with the aim to instil a sense of familiarity and reverence towards Mary, Jesus and other holy figures.
Andrea was himself particularly influenced by the moral teachings of Savanorola; two of his sons, also important sculptors, became Dominican friars. The present sculpture is an example of how Andrea's work was often simpler in design than that of his uncle, Luca Della Robbia, in order to stimulate greater reverence in the viewer. The blue glaze represents the heavens and the luminous white exemplifies innocence and piety. Such images became symbolic to Florence, seen throughout the city from street corners to the cathedral, emphasizing the role that works of art held in the public imagination of day-to-day life.
A thermoluminescence test carried out by Re.S.Artes, Bordeaux, on 23 April 2018, states that the date of the last firing of the relief is compatible with the proposed dating.