The Adoration of the Magi
Altarpiece
16th century (made)
16th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This altarpiece is by Andrea Della Robbia, made in Florence in the early 16th century.
The composition is related to that of a number of Umbrian paintings of the Adoration of the Magi, of which the most important is an altarpiece by Perugino in the Pinacoteca Nazionale at Perugia (about 1475). The arms are those of Albizzi, and the altarpiece may have been commissioned for S Michele or S Andrea at Rovezzano, both of which were under Albizzi patronage at the end of the 15th century.
The Della Robbia family was an Italian family of sculptors and potters. They were active in Florence from the early 15th century and elsewhere in Italy and France well into the 16th. Family members were traditionally employed in the textile industry, and their name derives from rubia tinctorum, a red dye.
Luca della Robbia founded the family sculpture workshop in Florence and was regarded by contemporaries as a leading artistic innovator, comparable to Donatello and Masaccio. The influence of antique art and his characteristic liveliness and charm are evident in such works as the marble singing-gallery for Florence Cathedral. He is credited with the invention of the tin-glazed terracotta sculpture for which the family became well known.
His nephew Andrea della Robbia, who inherited the workshop, tended to use more complex compositions and polychrome glazing rather than the simple blue-and-white schemes favoured by his uncle.
The composition is related to that of a number of Umbrian paintings of the Adoration of the Magi, of which the most important is an altarpiece by Perugino in the Pinacoteca Nazionale at Perugia (about 1475). The arms are those of Albizzi, and the altarpiece may have been commissioned for S Michele or S Andrea at Rovezzano, both of which were under Albizzi patronage at the end of the 15th century.
The Della Robbia family was an Italian family of sculptors and potters. They were active in Florence from the early 15th century and elsewhere in Italy and France well into the 16th. Family members were traditionally employed in the textile industry, and their name derives from rubia tinctorum, a red dye.
Luca della Robbia founded the family sculpture workshop in Florence and was regarded by contemporaries as a leading artistic innovator, comparable to Donatello and Masaccio. The influence of antique art and his characteristic liveliness and charm are evident in such works as the marble singing-gallery for Florence Cathedral. He is credited with the invention of the tin-glazed terracotta sculpture for which the family became well known.
His nephew Andrea della Robbia, who inherited the workshop, tended to use more complex compositions and polychrome glazing rather than the simple blue-and-white schemes favoured by his uncle.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Adoration of the Magi (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Enamelled terracotta |
| Brief description | Altarpiece, The Adoration of the Magi, by Andrea della Robbia, Florentine, early 16th century. |
| Physical description | Enamelled terracotta, Della Robbia ware, in high relief and in various colours. The Virgin seated to the right, the Child standing on her knee, and Saint Joseph behind her, in front of a shed with the ox and ass; the oldest of the three Magi kneeling, behind him the other two Magi with their gifts and nine other standing figures. Landscape background, with riders; above in the sky are two angels carrying the star. The frame has two flat white pilasters with symmetrical patterns in low relief; the polychrome frieze and base are decorated respectively with cherub heads and garlands, and garlands between two shields bearing the arms of Albizzi. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Aquired in Paris. The composition is related to that of a number of Umbrian paintings of the Adoration of the Magi, of which the most important is an altarpiece by Perugino in the Pinacoteca Nazionale at Perugia (about 1475). The arms are those of Albizzi, and the altarpiece may have been commissioned for S Michele or S Andrea at Rovezzano, both of which were under Albizzi patronage at the end of the 15th century. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This altarpiece is by Andrea Della Robbia, made in Florence in the early 16th century. The composition is related to that of a number of Umbrian paintings of the Adoration of the Magi, of which the most important is an altarpiece by Perugino in the Pinacoteca Nazionale at Perugia (about 1475). The arms are those of Albizzi, and the altarpiece may have been commissioned for S Michele or S Andrea at Rovezzano, both of which were under Albizzi patronage at the end of the 15th century. The Della Robbia family was an Italian family of sculptors and potters. They were active in Florence from the early 15th century and elsewhere in Italy and France well into the 16th. Family members were traditionally employed in the textile industry, and their name derives from rubia tinctorum, a red dye. Luca della Robbia founded the family sculpture workshop in Florence and was regarded by contemporaries as a leading artistic innovator, comparable to Donatello and Masaccio. The influence of antique art and his characteristic liveliness and charm are evident in such works as the marble singing-gallery for Florence Cathedral. He is credited with the invention of the tin-glazed terracotta sculpture for which the family became well known. His nephew Andrea della Robbia, who inherited the workshop, tended to use more complex compositions and polychrome glazing rather than the simple blue-and-white schemes favoured by his uncle. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 4412-1857 |
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| Record created | September 5, 1996 |
| Record URL |
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