Virgin and Child
ca. 1470–75
Medium
Glazed terracotta
Dimensions
37 3/8 x 21 5/8 in. (94.9 x 54.9 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
Italian, Florence
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edith and Herbert Lehman Foundation Inc., 1969
Accession Number
69.113
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the radiant world of Renaissance Florence with Andrea della Robbia's * and Child* (ca. 1470–75), a masterful glazed terracotta sculpture now gracing the Metropolitan Museum of's European Sculpture and Decor Arts collection. Standing nearly three feet tall, this devotional image captures the tender bond between the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child, a beloved motif in Italian art symbolizing divine motherhood and humanity's hope. Andrea, nephew of the pioneering Luca della Robbia, the family's signature technique: firing terracotta coated in vibrant, tin-based glazes that endure outdo...
About the Artist
Andrea della Robbia
Andrea della Robbia was one of the most successful and prolific of the della Robbia family. He trained with his uncle, Luca della Robbia, assisting in his workshop, and by 1470, had assumed its supervision. Typically, his works are more complex than Luca's, with more expressive figures and compositions. He worked on many commissions during the 1470s, and also began a series of tin-glazed terracott...