Madonna and Child

Artist Andrea della Robbia (Italian, 1435 - 1525)

Date15th Century

MediumGlazed terracotta relief in a carved, painted and gilded frame

Dimensions26 7/8 x 19 5/8 in. (68.3 x 49.8 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936

Object numberSN1393

Images of the Virgin and Child were virtually everywhere in the Renaissance home. In the 1300s and 1400s representations of the Virgin and Child became increasingly tender. Images like these emphasize the relationship between mother and child and promote the Virgin's role as intercessor for the salvation of humankind. The relief sculpture here is meant to recall carved marble, rather than the more inexpensive terracotta of which it was made. The sculptural quality of the figures in the painted image also point to the artist's interest in three-dimensional, sculpted models.

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