Frame thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 50a, The Paul and Jill Ruddock Gallery

Frame

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

The arms are those of Minerbetti and occir on the family's tomb in Santa Maria Novella, in Florence. The right to use the papal keys and tiara, seen here between the swords was only granted by the Pope under special circumstances. However, other members of the family could inherit this right and it is therfore uncertain who commissioned this relief.

Coats of arms from the della Robbia workshop were invariably surrounded by frames decorated with fruit, flowers and foliage in high relief. This one is exhibited in a frame, which although not original to it, is from the della Robbia workshop and of the same period.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleFrame
Materials and techniques
Polychrome tin-glazed terracotta
Brief description
Frame, foliage, fruit, flowers, workshop of della Robbia, late 15th or early 16th century
Physical description
Frame, polychrome tin-glazed terracotta, circular, moulded in relief with bunches of figs and flowers entwined by a ribbon, and bordered outside by an egg and tongue band, and inside with a band of leaf ornament. The fruit and leaves are green, and the flowers are pinkish, and have been gilt; the rest of the surface is white. The frame surrounds the coat of arms of the Minerbetti family. The arms (gules, three swords in pile fanwise, argent) are those of the Minerbetti, and occur on the tombs of the Minerbetti family in Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 34.25in
  • Depth: 5.75in
Object history
Bought (Nos 9 to 45, 2, 450l. 1s. 11d.)
Subjects depicted
Summary
The arms are those of Minerbetti and occir on the family's tomb in Santa Maria Novella, in Florence. The right to use the papal keys and tiara, seen here between the swords was only granted by the Pope under special circumstances. However, other members of the family could inherit this right and it is therfore uncertain who commissioned this relief.

Coats of arms from the della Robbia workshop were invariably surrounded by frames decorated with fruit, flowers and foliage in high relief. This one is exhibited in a frame, which although not original to it, is from the della Robbia workshop and of the same period.
Bibliographic references
  • List of Objects in the Art Division South Kensington Museum acquired during the Year 1891. Arranged according to the dates of acquisition, with appendix and indices. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1892. pp. 11
  • MacLagan, E, and Longhurst, Margaret, H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. London: V&A, 1932. pp.85
  • Pope Hennessey, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1964. pp.252-3
  • Cruttwell. Luca & Andrea della Robbia. London: 1902. pp. 345
  • Marquand. Andrea della Robbia and his Atelier. II. Princeton: 1922. pp. 15. No. 119
Collection
Accession number
43-1891

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Record createdNovember 10, 2008
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