The Visitation
Figure Group
ca. 1445 (sculpted), ca. 1883 (cast)
ca. 1445 (sculpted), ca. 1883 (cast)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a plaster cast of a glazed terracotta original of the Visitation by Luca della Robbia, made in Florence before 1445. It was cast by Orenzio Lelli in about 1883.
The cast is displayed in one of the two magnificent Cast Courts at the V&A. Since they were first opened in 1873, these galleries have displayed reproductions of some of the most significant monuments of medieval and Renaissance Europe. In these galleries one can view plaster casts of sculptures from Renaissance Italy, notably some of the masterpieces produced by Donatello, Luca della Robbia and Michelangelo.
The sculptures are faithful copies of the originals. They were made in the 19th century, when the vogue for replicated works of art was at its height. Museum visitors at that time generally had little opportunity to travel abroad, and illustrated art books were costly. These superb casts could afford people a rare glimpse of the original sculptures, even if they could not visit Florence or Rome. Artists and designers then and now could likewise sketch and learn from them. The painted surfaces of these reproductions often mirror the original stone or bronze, and the casts seem convincingly monumental. But they are made of plaster, a relatively fragile material.
The cast is displayed in one of the two magnificent Cast Courts at the V&A. Since they were first opened in 1873, these galleries have displayed reproductions of some of the most significant monuments of medieval and Renaissance Europe. In these galleries one can view plaster casts of sculptures from Renaissance Italy, notably some of the masterpieces produced by Donatello, Luca della Robbia and Michelangelo.
The sculptures are faithful copies of the originals. They were made in the 19th century, when the vogue for replicated works of art was at its height. Museum visitors at that time generally had little opportunity to travel abroad, and illustrated art books were costly. These superb casts could afford people a rare glimpse of the original sculptures, even if they could not visit Florence or Rome. Artists and designers then and now could likewise sketch and learn from them. The painted surfaces of these reproductions often mirror the original stone or bronze, and the casts seem convincingly monumental. But they are made of plaster, a relatively fragile material.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
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| Title | The Visitation (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Plaster cast painted |
| Brief description | Plaster cast (group), painted plaster, after the glazed terracotta The Visitation, in the church of S. Giovanni Fuoricivitas, Pistoia, by Luca della Robbia, Florence, Italy, before 1445, cast by Oronzio Lelli, Florence, Italy, ca. 1883 |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | The Virgin, pregnant with the Christ Child, embraces the kneeling figure of her older cousin, St Elizabeth, who is pregnant with St John the Baptist. Luca della Robbia’s original figures in Pistoia are glazed in white, with colour and gilding. Although plainer, this plaster copy nonetheless evokes the emotional scene and the expressive figures.
(2014) |
| Object history | Purchased from Oronzio Lelli in 1883 for £32. |
| Historical context | The group is thought to have existed before 1445, when a sum was donated to the sodality of the Visitation for an oil lamp to be burnt before the figure of "the Virgin of the Visitation". A tabernacle was placed over the sculpture in 1513/14. The figures are glazed in white, with the irises picked out in colour, while the hair, together with the borders of the garments, bears traces of gilding. The lower halves of the figures have been damaged and made up. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is a plaster cast of a glazed terracotta original of the Visitation by Luca della Robbia, made in Florence before 1445. It was cast by Orenzio Lelli in about 1883. The cast is displayed in one of the two magnificent Cast Courts at the V&A. Since they were first opened in 1873, these galleries have displayed reproductions of some of the most significant monuments of medieval and Renaissance Europe. In these galleries one can view plaster casts of sculptures from Renaissance Italy, notably some of the masterpieces produced by Donatello, Luca della Robbia and Michelangelo. The sculptures are faithful copies of the originals. They were made in the 19th century, when the vogue for replicated works of art was at its height. Museum visitors at that time generally had little opportunity to travel abroad, and illustrated art books were costly. These superb casts could afford people a rare glimpse of the original sculptures, even if they could not visit Florence or Rome. Artists and designers then and now could likewise sketch and learn from them. The painted surfaces of these reproductions often mirror the original stone or bronze, and the casts seem convincingly monumental. But they are made of plaster, a relatively fragile material. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | REPRO.1883:1, 2-177 |
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| Record created | September 22, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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