The Virgin and Child thumbnail 1
The Virgin and Child thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

The Virgin and Child

Relief
last quarter 15th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This Virgin and Child is made by Francesco di Simone Ferrucci in Florence in the last quarter of the 15th century.

The composition of this relief is unique but it is related to a marble Virgin and Child relief in the Museo Nazionale (Bargello), Florence, from the Verrocchio workshop and to a lost original by Verrocchio, which is known from a number of examples in stucco and terracotta. Stylistic analogies may be found in figures on the Tartagni monument in San Domenico Maggiore at Bologna (1480-82) by Francesco di Simone.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Virgin and Child (generic title)
Materials and techniques
High relief in terracotta
Brief description
Panel-relief, terracotta relief, The Virgin and Child, by Francesco di Simone Ferrucci
Physical description
Relief shows the Virgin seated in three-quarter length turned to the left. Her legs are cut off below the knees, and the arm of her seat is visible in the lower right corner of the relief. The Child stands on her right knee, with his right hand raised in benediction. The Virgin supports his right leg with her right hand and places her left hand under his left foot.
Dimensions
  • Height: 81.9cm
  • Width: 62.6cm
Object history
The composition of this relief is unique but it is related to a marble Virgin and Child relief in the Museo Nazionale (Bargello), Florence, from the Verrocchio workshop and to a lost original by Verrocchio, which is known from a number of examples in stucco and terracotta. Stylistic analogies may be found in figures on the Tartagni monument in San Domenico Maggiore at Bologna (1480-82) by Francesco di Simone.
Purchased from the Gigli-Campana collection.
Subject depicted
Summary
This Virgin and Child is made by Francesco di Simone Ferrucci in Florence in the last quarter of the 15th century.

The composition of this relief is unique but it is related to a marble Virgin and Child relief in the Museo Nazionale (Bargello), Florence, from the Verrocchio workshop and to a lost original by Verrocchio, which is known from a number of examples in stucco and terracotta. Stylistic analogies may be found in figures on the Tartagni monument in San Domenico Maggiore at Bologna (1480-82) by Francesco di Simone.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1861 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. 28
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. Text. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1932, p. 61
  • 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. 172, 173
  • Raggio, Olga. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Art Bulletin. Vol. L, 1968, p. 101
  • Rubin, Particia Lee and Wright, Alison, Renaissance Florence: The Art of the 1470s, London : National Gallery Publications Ltd, 1999 no. 28
Collection
Accession number
7576-1861

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Record createdSeptember 18, 2008
Record URL
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