Physical description
The Virgin and Child, relief in stucco (cast). The Virgin is shown in half-length facing to the right. She wraps the Child's head in her cloak with her left hand, and rests her right hand on his thigh. His head is against her cheek. The surface of the relief is substantially abraded.
Place of Origin
Verona, Italy (probably, made)
Date
ca. 1450-1475 (cast)
Artist/maker
Donatello, born 1386 - died 1466 (after, sculptor)
Materials and Techniques
Stucco
Dimensions
Height: 95.3 cm, Width: 63 cm, Depth: 15 cm, Weight: 25.5 kg
Object history note
Given to the museum by Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, F. S. A, in 1932.
Historical context note
This relief is known as the Verona Madonna after a version that remains in situ, fixed high on the external wall of a house on the Vicolo delle Fogge in Verona. It is thought to have been designed by Donatello during his stay in Padua, probably between 1447 and 1453, and was perhaps intended specifically for reproduction. It was a very popular design in the fifteenth century and numerous copies of this relief survive (with slight variations) in terracotta, stucco, and wood.
The V&A relief is identical to the one in Verona, and has a weathered surface, suggesting that it too was originally a street madonna. They are both made from stucco which was a durable but relatively cheap material; the casts could be made in large numbers and were often painted.
'Street madonnas' like this were devotional objects but were also thought to offer protection to the neighbourhoods over which they looked. Many remain in Italian cities, and new ones continue to be put up today.
Descriptive line
The Virgin and Child, relief in stucco after Donatello, Italy, probably Verona, mid 15th century
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Pope-Hennessy, John, assisted by Ronald Lightbown. A Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: HMSO, 1964. Cat. 69, pp. 84-6, pl. 87.
Trusted, Marjorie. The Making of Sculpture. The materials and techniques of European Sculpture. London. 2007. p.156, pl. 301.
Ronald G. Kecks, Madonna und Kind: Das häusliche Andachstbild im Florenz des 15. Jahrhunderts. Berlin 1988, p. 92, pl. 38.
Anthony Radcliffe, Malcolm Baker and Michael Maek-Gérard, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection: Renaissance and later sculpture with works of art in bronze. London 1992, cat. 1, pp. 48-53
Anna Jolly. Madonnas by Donatello and his Circle. PhD thesis, University of Cambridge, 1992. pp. 24, 25, 42, 63-4, cat. 28.5, pp. 104-108, 113, 121,123,pl. 51. Published, as Madonnas by Donatello and his Circle, Frankfurt am Maim, 1998.
Boucher, Bruce. The Sculpture of Jacopa Sansorino. New Haven and London. 1991. p.100, pl., 236.
Kokole, S. 'Zu Madonnenreliefs des Niccolò di Giovanni Fiorentino' in Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz. XXXVII. 1993. 2/3. note 20. p.219.
Exhibition History
Depth of Field: the Place of Relief in the Time of Donatello (Henry Moore Institute, Leeds 23/09/2004-27/03/2005)
Labels and date
THE VIRGIN AND CHILD
About 1450
After Donatello (about 1386-1466)
This popular composition is known as the Verona Madonna after a stucco version placed high on a house on the corner of the Via delle Fogge in Verona. It appears to have been designed specifically for reproduction, and variants also exist in terracotta and papier mâché.
Italy, probably Verona
Stucco
Museum no. A.1-1932
Given by Dr W.L. Hildburgh FSA [2008]
Materials
Stucco
Techniques
Cast
Subjects depicted
Jesus Christ; Mary (Virgin Mary); Halo; The Christ Child; Maternity
Categories
Sculpture; Religion; Christianity
Collection code
SCP
