Kneeling Angel
Figure
1450-1525 (made)
1450-1525 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This angel forms a pair with the angel 7614-1861. They are tin-glaze terracotta made by a member of the della Robbia family, possibly Andrea or his son Giovanni. They may have formed part of a larger relief, as their hands and knees are missing.
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.
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 | |
| Title | Kneeling Angel (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | White enamelled terracotta |
| Brief description | Figure, white enamelled terracotta, A Kneeling Angel, Giovanni della Robbia, Italy (Florence), late 15th century to early 16th century |
| Physical description | A kneeling Angel, figure in white enamelled terracotta. The angel, which forms a pair with 7614-1861, is represented turned to the right and kneeling on the right knee, in a tunic or alb covered by a heavy cloak. The hair is dressed in curls and falls in locks on both sides. The figure is more extensively damaged than 7614-1861, and has sustained two major diagonal breaks. The hair in the left centre of the forehead has been made up. The back is hollow and not finished off. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | See 7614-1861 Historical significance: See 7614-1861 |
| Historical context | See 7614-1861 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This angel forms a pair with the angel 7614-1861. They are tin-glaze terracotta made by a member of the della Robbia family, possibly Andrea or his son Giovanni. They may have formed part of a larger relief, as their hands and knees are missing. 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. |
| Associated object | 7614-1861 (Set) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 7615-1861 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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