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

Virgin and Child

Relief
1410-1430 (made)
Place of origin

This Virgin and Child is one of a number of terracotta reliefs traditionally associated with the style of the Florentine goldsmith and sculptor, Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455), and was probably produced in a Florentine workshop active in his circle.

Ghiberti (1378-1455) was a the most celebrated bronze-caster and goldsmith, sculptor, draughtsman, architect and writer in early 15th-century Florence. His diverse and wide-ranging activities make him the first great representative of the polymath artist of the Renaissance.

Young women often prayed to the Virgin Mary to ask for assistance during childbirth, and so reliefs of the Madonna embracing her son were a common feature of Italian Renaissance bedchambers. In this example, the voluminous folds of the Madonna's robe, wrapped around Christ's body, emphasise her motherly tenderness and love.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleVirgin and Child (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Terracotta
Brief description
Relief, terracotta, of the Virgin and Child, about 1410-1430, Italy (Florence)
Physical description
Relief, high relief group of three-quarter length haloed figure of the Virgin holding the naked haloed Christ Child, both swathed in the Virgin's veil.
Dimensions
  • Height: 35cm
  • Width: 21cm
Style
Credit line
Donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum by the late Mr and Mrs H. Ingham, in gratitude to England for giving them refuge from Nazi Germany
Object history
The relief was formerly in the Beckerath and Silten collections, Berlin and then inherited by Mr H Ingham, who then lent the object to the V&A on a long-term loan. Later the object was acquired as bequest of the late Mr and Mrs H and Leonie Ingham in gratitude to England for giving them refuge from Nazi Germany.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This Virgin and Child is one of a number of terracotta reliefs traditionally associated with the style of the Florentine goldsmith and sculptor, Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455), and was probably produced in a Florentine workshop active in his circle.

Ghiberti (1378-1455) was a the most celebrated bronze-caster and goldsmith, sculptor, draughtsman, architect and writer in early 15th-century Florence. His diverse and wide-ranging activities make him the first great representative of the polymath artist of the Renaissance.

Young women often prayed to the Virgin Mary to ask for assistance during childbirth, and so reliefs of the Madonna embracing her son were a common feature of Italian Renaissance bedchambers. In this example, the voluminous folds of the Madonna's robe, wrapped around Christ's body, emphasise her motherly tenderness and love.
Bibliographic references
  • Williamson, Paul, ‘Recent Acquisitions (2000-06) of sculpture at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London’, in: The Burlington Magazine, CXLVIII, December, 2006, p. 888, fig III
  • Corry, Maya, Howard, Deborah and Laven, Mary (ed.), Madonnas & Miracles: The Holy Home in Renaissance Italy, New York: Philip Wilson Publishers, 2017, pp.48, cat. no. 48.
Other numbers
  • LOAN: INGHAM.1:1 - Previous loan number
  • LOAN: INGHAM.1:2 - Previous loan number
Collection
Accession number
A.7-2003

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Record createdSeptember 1, 2003
Record URL
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