Madonna and Child with Scroll

Luca della Robbia

ca. 1455 · Glazed terracotta · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Luca della Robbia is famous especially for having brought the glazed terracotta technique to sculpture. This quiet, monumental composition shows him at the height of his powers. The composition is best viewed from the right and must have been site specific. The Virgin's head was modeled and glazed separately. This sculpture and others may have been the central part of a lunette which was stylistically related to the Cantoria completed by Luca for the Cathedral of Florence between 1431 and 1438.

Artist

Luca della Robbia

Date

ca. 1455

Medium

Glazed terracotta

Culture

Italian, Florence

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913