The Adoration of the Shepherds thumbnail 1
The Adoration of the Shepherds thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

The Adoration of the Shepherds

Relief
second half of 15th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a terracotta relief made in the second half of the fifteenth century Florence, Italy. This relief is a sketch-model and representing the Adoration of the Shepherds. The composition of this relief has close connection with a relief of the Adoration of the Shepherds at Munich. The Munich Adoration of the Shepherds is by Andrea della Robbia and though this relief can hardly have been made in preparation for this work, it is likely to have been modelled by the same hand.
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.
Luca della Robbia founded the family sculpture workshop in Florence and was regarded by contemporaries as a leading artistic innovator, comparable to Donatello and Masaccio. The influence of antique art and his characteristic liveliness and charm are evident in such works as the marble singing-gallery for Florence Cathedral. He is credited with the invention of the tin-glazed terracotta sculpture for which the family became well known.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Adoration of the Shepherds (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Terracotta moulded in relief
Brief description
Relief, terracotta, representing the Adoration of the Shepherds, probably by Andrea della Robbia, Italian, 2nd half of 15th century
Physical description
Terracotta model moulded in relief with a representation of the Nativity in a cave, above which is the appearance of the angels to the shepherds.
Dimensions
  • Height: 43.18cm
  • Width: 36.19cm
Object history
Bought in 1876 in Florence.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is a terracotta relief made in the second half of the fifteenth century Florence, Italy. This relief is a sketch-model and representing the Adoration of the Shepherds. The composition of this relief has close connection with a relief of the Adoration of the Shepherds at Munich. The Munich Adoration of the Shepherds is by Andrea della Robbia and though this relief can hardly have been made in preparation for this work, it is likely to have been modelled by the same hand.
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.
Luca della Robbia founded the family sculpture workshop in Florence and was regarded by contemporaries as a leading artistic innovator, comparable to Donatello and Masaccio. The influence of antique art and his characteristic liveliness and charm are evident in such works as the marble singing-gallery for Florence Cathedral. He is credited with the invention of the tin-glazed terracotta sculpture for which the family became well known.
Bibliographic references
  • List of Objects in the Art Division, South Kensington, Acquired During the Year 1876, Arranged According to the Dates of Acquisition. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., p. 20
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: HMSO, 1964, cat. no. 208, fig. 211
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. London, 1932, p. 74
Collection
Accession number
252-1876

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Record createdSeptember 26, 2008
Record URL
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