Not currently on display at the V&A

Christ

Bust
c.1500 (modelled)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Florence (made)

The bust is characteristic of a class of devotional images of Christ that was manufactured in some quantities in Florence at the end of the 15th century. Several similar examples exist, including those in the Horne Foundation and the Bigallo in Florence. All are derived from the head of Christ in the bronze group of 'Christ and St. Thomas' executed between 1466 and 1483 for the niche on Orsanmichele in Florence (now in the Museo Orsanmichele) by Andrea De Verrocchio (1435-1488). They were doubtless produced by several workshops, including Verrocchio's, and by Giovanni della Robbia in unglazed terracotta. The terracotta would originally have been painted.


Object details

Categories
Christianity
Religion
Sculpture
Portraits
Object type
Bust
TitleChrist (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Terracotta
Terracotta
Brief description
Bust of Christ in terracotta, possibly workshop of Verrocchio, about 1470-1500
Physical description
Christ is shown with His head turned slightly to the left, with hair falling in long curls on the shoulders. He wears a cloak over a tunic.
Dimensions
  • Height: 51.4cm
Object history
The bust is characteristic of a class of devotional images of Christ that was manufactured in some quantities in Florence at the end of the 15th century. Several similar examples exist, including those in the Horne Foundation and the Bigallo in Florence. All apparently derive from the head of Christ in the bronze group of Christ and St. Thomas executed between 1466 and 1483 for the niche on Orsanmichele in Florence (now in the Museo Orsanmichele) by Andrea De Verrocchio (1435-1488). They were doubtless produced by several workshops, including Verrocchio's, and by Giovanni della Robbia in unglazed terracotta. This one has been attributed to Agnolo di Polo (1470-1528), a pupil of Verrocchio's who is known to have made several terracottas, and dated to around 1500. The sculpture would originally have been painted.
Purchased in London
Subjects depicted
Christianity
Christ
Summary
The bust is characteristic of a class of devotional images of Christ that was manufactured in some quantities in Florence at the end of the 15th century. Several similar examples exist, including those in the Horne Foundation and the Bigallo in Florence. All are derived from the head of Christ in the bronze group of 'Christ and St. Thomas' executed between 1466 and 1483 for the niche on Orsanmichele in Florence (now in the Museo Orsanmichele) by Andrea De Verrocchio (1435-1488). They were doubtless produced by several workshops, including Verrocchio's, and by Giovanni della Robbia in unglazed terracotta. The terracotta would originally have been painted.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1860. 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. 3
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. Text. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1932, p. 66
  • Pope-Hennessy, John, assisted by Ronald Lightbown. 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. 209-10, cat.197
  • Arnoldi, Franceso Negri, 'Scultura Italiana al Victoria and Albert Museum I&II. In: Commentari, anno XXI, June-July 1970. Fascicoli, pp. 212-213
  • Boucher, Bruce (ed.), Earth and Fire. Italian Terracotta Sculpture from Donatello to Canova. (Exh. cat. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 18 November 2001-3 February 2002; Victoria and Albert Museum, 14 March-7 July 2002). New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2001, p.150
  • Jékely, Zsombor (ed.), Verrocchio's Christ, (Exh. cat. Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest 13 March-22 June 2003). Budapest, 2003, pp.56-7, cat.4
  • Dolcini, Loretta, Verrocchio's Christ and St. Thomas: a masterpiece of sculpture from Renaissance Florence, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
6862-1860

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O14743/christ-bust-unknown/
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