A majolica relief of the Virgin and Child
Rounded frame with a half-figure depiction of the seated Virgin Mary seated on the left and holding the standing Christ Child surrounded by five winged angel's heads and the dove of the Holy Spirit. A filled and stapled old horizontal crack through the upper centre around the Madonna's neck. H 55.5, W 45 cm. Frame H 67 cm.
Workshop of Andrea della Robbia, circa 1500 / early 16th C.
A further workshop piece from 1485 after another large tondo by Andrea della Robbia can be seen in Santa Maria delle Grazie in Castiglion dei Pepoli. However, in this work the child is clothed in drapery. Della Robbia varied this motif several times, but the Virgin is always shown seated on the left in a chair with scrolling armrests, supporting the Christ Child with her left hand and playing with his toes with her right. She wears a plain gown gathered below the breast and a scarf tied loosely around her head partially concealing her hair.
The motif of the mother playing with her child's toes was adopted by Benedetto Buglioni, but his compositions are stiffer and less life like. Typical of these compositions is the Virgin's melancholic gaze, recalling the Passion story. Even the winged cherub's heads above the composition do little to dispel the mournful atmosphere.
Literature
Cf. Gentilini, I della Robbia, Milan 1992, p. 174, 186 and (identical) 232.