Virgin and Child
Andrea della Robbia
(Italian (Florentine), 1435–1525)
first quarter of the 16th century
Object PlaceFlorence, Italy
Medium/TechniqueGlazed terracotta
DimensionsOverall: 101.2 x 63cm (39 13/16 x 24 13/16in.)
Other (Console): 31.4 x 56.7 cm (12 3/8 x 22 5/16 in.)
Other (Console): 31.4 x 56.7 cm (12 3/8 x 22 5/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Quincy Adams Shaw through Quincy Adams Shaw, Jr., and Mrs. Marian Shaw Haughton
Accession number17.1474
On View
Not on viewClassificationsSculpture
Collections
The elaborate framework and traces of gliding suggest the original sumptuous effect of this imposing relief. But it is clear that a mistake occurred during production. The piece seems to have been fired at too high a temperature, which may have caused the bubbling effect in the glaze. Yet the beauty of the figures, the expressive modeling of faces and flesh, and the sweet sentiment of the piece must have convinced the artist to keep it despite the surface's imperfections.
ProvenanceQuincy Adams Shaw (b. 1825 - d. 1908), Boston; 1917, gift of Quincy Adams Shaw, through Quincy Adams Shaw Jr., and Mrs. Marian Shaw Haughton, to the MFA. (Accession Date: March 29, 1917)
