Stemma of the Becchi-Fibbiai Family thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Stemma of the Becchi-Fibbiai Family

Roundel
1475-1525 (made)
Artist/Maker
Della Robbia (sculptor)
Place of origin
Florence (made)

The use of coats of arms (stemmi in Italian) emerged in the 12th century as a way of identifying armoured knights in combat. The practice was then adopted by the nobility and by banking and merchant families. They placed them on the outside of buildings and on tombs as identifiers or signs of allegiance. Similar stemmi also appeared on livery and small-scale objects.

Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Arms & Armour
Object type
Roundel
Titles
  • Stemma of the Becchi-Fibbiai Family (generic title)
  • Shield of Arms (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Polychrome enamelled terracotta in relief
Terracotta
Enamelling
Relief
Brief description
Panel, Shield of Arms, circular, in terracotta, workshop of the Della Robbia, Italy, about 1500
Physical description
Circular relief in polychrome enamelled terracotta. With a frame composed of white and yellow egg-and-dart and pearl mouldings, on a porphyry ground, is a Tuscan shield with the Becchi-Fibbiai arms (azure, a pine tree on a mount of six summits accompanied by two lions affronty, all proper), The summits and tree trunk are enamelled in brown, the foliage in green, and the lions in brownish yellow. The surface of the shield is blue, and the ribbons behind are yellow.
Dimensions
  • Depth: 17cm
  • Diameter: 104cm
  • Weight: 75kg
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Gallery label
(2004)
4563-1858
Stemma (coat of arms) of the Becchi-Fibbiai
Polychrome enamelled terracotta
Workshop of the Della Robbia
Florentine; late 15th or early 16th century
The Becchi-Fibbiai family were a noble Florentine family who maintained close relations with the Medici.
Object history
Purchased in Paris (£ 24)
Subjects depicted
Lion
Shield
Summary
The use of coats of arms (stemmi in Italian) emerged in the 12th century as a way of identifying armoured knights in combat. The practice was then adopted by the nobility and by banking and merchant families. They placed them on the outside of buildings and on tombs as identifiers or signs of allegiance. Similar stemmi also appeared on livery and small-scale objects.
Bibliographic references
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. Text. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1932, p. 85.
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1858. 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. 8.
  • 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, p. 249.
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
4563-1858

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Record createdMarch 27, 2006
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O122359/stemma-of-the-becchi-fibbiai-roundel-della-robbia/
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