St Mary Magdalen thumbnail 1
St Mary Magdalen thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

St Mary Magdalen

Figure
late 15th century to early 16th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This statuette of St Mary Magdalen, is made by Giovanni della Robbia, in Florence in the second half of the 15th century.

Mary Magdalen is represented kneeling, with her long hair falling in tresses on her shoulders, her cloak drawn across her body, and her right hand on her breast.

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.

Giovanni della Robbia (1469 - ca. 1529) was one of three of the sons of Andrea della Robbia (1435-1525) to enter his father's workshop. He received his own commissions from 1497 and increasingly took over the running of the workshop
He was heir to the famous workshop in Florence and had the task of renewing its famous production to accord with changing tastes as directed by contemporary painting.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSt Mary Magdalen (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Terracotta
Brief description
Statue, St. Mary Magdalene, terracotta, by Giovanni della Robbia, Italy, Florence
Physical description
Mary Magdalen is represented kneeling, with her long hair falling in tresses on her shoulders, her cloak drawn across her body, and her right hand on her breast.
Dimensions
  • Height: 96.8cm
Object history
Aquired in Paris
Subjects depicted
Summary
This statuette of St Mary Magdalen, is made by Giovanni della Robbia, in Florence in the second half of the 15th century.

Mary Magdalen is represented kneeling, with her long hair falling in tresses on her shoulders, her cloak drawn across her body, and her right hand on her breast.

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.

Giovanni della Robbia (1469 - ca. 1529) was one of three of the sons of Andrea della Robbia (1435-1525) to enter his father's workshop. He received his own commissions from 1497 and increasingly took over the running of the workshop
He was heir to the famous workshop in Florence and had the task of renewing its famous production to accord with changing tastes as directed by contemporary painting.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1858. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 27.
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. Text. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1932, p.
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Volume I: Text. Eighth to Fifteenth Century. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1964, pp. 239, 240.
Collection
Accession number
4499-1858

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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