Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels
Relief
ca. 1426-30 (made)
ca. 1426-30 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This oval relief was cast in stucco (a type of plaster) using a shallow mould and then painted. This relief may well have been by an original model by Donatello, and was probably made in the workshops in Florence, which specialised in painted stucco reproductions of Madonna reliefs.
The Virgin is seated under an arch, with the infant Jesus on her knee. To the left is probably St Bartholomew, holding a knife, while the crowned saint to the right has been variously identified (including as St Sigismond); seated on the steps of the throne, two angels play a viol and a lute. The style of the painted, half-length figure of the Redeemer in the pediment of the wooden frame suggests this was made around the middle of the fifteenth century. A second pigmented stucco cast from the same model exists in a private collection in New York.
The Virgin is seated under an arch, with the infant Jesus on her knee. To the left is probably St Bartholomew, holding a knife, while the crowned saint to the right has been variously identified (including as St Sigismond); seated on the steps of the throne, two angels play a viol and a lute. The style of the painted, half-length figure of the Redeemer in the pediment of the wooden frame suggests this was made around the middle of the fifteenth century. A second pigmented stucco cast from the same model exists in a private collection in New York.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Painted stucco |
| Brief description | Relief, 'Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels', painted stucco in a painted and gilded wooden tabernacle frame, after Donatello, Italy (Florence), ca. 1426-30 |
| Physical description | Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels, oval relief in pigmented stucco. The Virgin, wearing a dark blue cloak, enthroned beneath a central arch, holds the Child in her lap. they are attended by two saints (Saint Bartholomew to the left, and to the right a crowned saint) and two angels playing musical instruments (to the left a viol and to the right a lute). |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label | TWO RELEIFS OF THE VIRGIN AND CHILD
By or after Donatello (about 1386–66)
Probably designed for replication, the left-
hand relief was cast in stucco (a type of
plaster) using a shallow mould. It was
then painted. The saints accompanying
the Virgin and Child might have held
reliefs of the virgin and child
some significance for the owner.
A variant showing four angels also after Donatello (about 1386–66)
survives, and is reflected in the marble
seen here. Though possibly contemporary
with the stucco versions, this marble is
more likely a later pastiche, created as
the ‘lost’ original.
Italy, Florence
Left
Painted stucco About 1430–40
Museum no. 93-1882
Right
Marble
About 1430, or 1850–70
Bequeathed by
Dr W.L. Hildburgh FSA
Museum no. A.98-1956 |
| Object history | This relief, which was purchased in Florence, is cast after an original model that was most probably designed for replication by Donatello. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This oval relief was cast in stucco (a type of plaster) using a shallow mould and then painted. This relief may well have been by an original model by Donatello, and was probably made in the workshops in Florence, which specialised in painted stucco reproductions of Madonna reliefs. The Virgin is seated under an arch, with the infant Jesus on her knee. To the left is probably St Bartholomew, holding a knife, while the crowned saint to the right has been variously identified (including as St Sigismond); seated on the steps of the throne, two angels play a viol and a lute. The style of the painted, half-length figure of the Redeemer in the pediment of the wooden frame suggests this was made around the middle of the fifteenth century. A second pigmented stucco cast from the same model exists in a private collection in New York. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 93-1882 |
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| Record created | February 20, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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