MADONNA AND CHILD WALL PLAQUE

(December 1997)

MADONNA AND CHILD WALL PLAQUE. (66K) Enameled terra cotta. Copy; original from studio of Andrea della Robbia, ca. 1486.

DESCRIPTION

This replica of an Andrea della Robbia wall plaque of the Madonna and Child is made of enameled terra cotta. The original framed scene was part of a marriage plaque made in 1486. It is a tenderly depicted scene, with pendant garlands of fruit and flowers around the arched frame, which reflects the great interest in things of nature during this period.

The scene of the adoration of the child is sympathetically depicted within a round arched frame decorated with a band of colorful fruits and flowers. An egg-and-dart trim echoes the ancient classical motifs popular during the Renaissance Period. Against a background of heavenly blue sky, the holy Mother kneels and clasps her hands in devotion to the Christ child. As he rests on a bed of green hay, he holds up his left hand, with two fingers slightly raised in a blessing to signal to the world his divinity. The hand of two angels suspend a crown above the Madonna's head to signify her future coronation as the Queen of Heaven, a regal motif frequently found in the work of Andrea della Robbia. Observing the scene are two angelic cherubs. Stalks of white lilies spring up in full bloom to symbolize the purity and innocence of the Virgin Mary. The flower's straight stalk represents her godly mind, the bent leaves her humility, and their whiteness her purity.

On the console below the relief scene of the Madonna and Child is the head of a cherub with outspread wings, flanked by two curving cornucopias of colorful fruits held at the center by the leaves of an acanthus plant. Sometimes this space held a family coat of arms.

THE DELLA ROBBIA FAMILY: Creation of a New Art Form

The name della Robbia reflects one of the important artistic achievements that emerged during the Renaissance Period in Florence, Italy.

Luca della Robbia (1400-1482) was the first in the family to establish its artistic tradition. His early work was influenced by the well-known sculptors Donatello (1386-1466) and Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455), who gave inspiration to his works of important sculpture in marble, stone, and bronze. Breaking away from these customary materials, perhaps even before 1430, he developed and perfected enameled sculpture in relief, utilizing the technique that had long been used for Italian pottery wares called maiolica, a tin-glazed earthenware. This innovation brought to the world an original form of artistic expression using a known medium. It set in motion a thriving family business of producing enameled works of art. Now more people could afford to buy art, compared to works made from more costly materials.

ENAMELING PROCESS

It is almost certain that Luca della Robbia intended his white enameled terra cotta to have the appearance of polished marble. The ease in shaping the clay compared to marble or stone was time-saving and far less expensive. However, the trials of production were many. There were difficulties of unequal contraction and expansion of the clay when it was fired. There was the twisting, warping, and breaking of the clay to struggle against. Then came the problems of the glazes and the prevention of cracks in the glaze, as well as bubbles, unsightly patches, and other accidents of kiln production to overcome. Great skill was used to avoid these hazards. The enameled terra cotta produced is unequaled in the purity and delicacy of the glazes.

Maud Cruttwell, in her book Luca & Andrea della Robbia and Their Successors (New York: 1902), describes the enameling process as follows:

After the clay model has been baked in a gyrating furnace, according to the usual methods of terra cotta, it is immersed in a bath of enamel, composed of oxidised tin, lead, and a very fine sand. The model emerges from the bath evenly covered with a coating of white glaze.... Such parts as are to remain white are now ready for baking, but from those which are to be coloured, such as the blue background, leaves, fruits &c., the white glaze is carefully wiped away. The coloured glazes are then applied with a brush...and the work is again baked in a furnace....

STUDIO OF ANDREA DELLA ROBBIA

Andrea della Robbia (1435-1525), nephew and pupil of Luca, carried on the family tradition to achieve sculptural works of great sensitivity in enameled reliefs. The spirit in the achievements of the studio is almost entirely Christian. The glowing white enamel and heavenly blues create a purity of style well-suited to religious themes. The work reflects the great interest and affection for things of nature during this Renaissance period. The decorative use of flowers and fruit, foliage, and branches flourished. Nature is almost always present in the work of the della Robbia family. As in this particular piece, many of the relief motifs around the frames incorporated brightly colored fruits, such as applies, lemons, and oranges, and flowers and plants, such as lilies and fir cones.

DELLA ROBBIA FAMILY

It is often difficult to separate the enameled terra cottas from one artist to the other in the della Robbia family. Each of them overlapped his successor, and they also collaborated when producing a work. After the death of Andrea della Robbia, his sons carried on the family business of reliefs in enameled clay.

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