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Virgin and Child thumbnail 2
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Virgin and Child

Relief
fifteenth century (carved)
Artist/Maker
Donatello
Place of origin
Florence (made)

The Virgin and Child are shown behind a parapet in this oval relief. The Child is seated on a tasselled cushion on the parapet. The Virgin's halo is cut by the arched border.

Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Christianity
Religion
Object type
Relief
TitleVirgin and Child (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Marble carved in high relief
Marble
Carving
High Relief
Brief description
Panel relief in marble, the Virgin and Child, style of Donatello, mid of 15th century, Florence
Physical description
The Virgin and Child are shown behind a parapet in this oval relief. The Child is seated on a tasselled cushion on the parapet. The Virgin's halo is cut by the arched border.
Dimensions
  • Height: 79.2cm
  • Width: 64.8cm
Historical context
Variants of this composition exist in cartapesta in Berlin, Bergamo and elsewhere. In soem of these the Virgin holds a rose in her left hand.
Production
The relief was at one time ascribed to Donatello, but is the work of a provincial Tuscan sculptor influenced by Andrea di Francesco Guardi
Subjects depicted
Arch
Parapet
Christ
Virgin and Child
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1863 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. 45
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. Text. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1932, p. 25
  • Arnoldi, Franceso Negri, 'Scultura Italiana al Victoria and Albert Museum I&II. In: Commentari, anno XXI, June-July 1970. Fascicoli, pp. 207
  • Jolly, Anna. Madonnas by Donatello and his Circle. Phd Thesis, Cambridge 1992, cat. 43.7, p. 165, pl. 136
  • Johnson, Geraldine. 'Art or Artefact? Madonna and Child reliefs in the early Renaissance'. In: Currie, S. and Motture, P., eds, The Sculpted Object 1400-1700. Alsdershot, 1997, p. 4, n 21, p. 14
  • 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, pp. 97, 98
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
8376-1863

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O16251/virgin-and-child-relief-donatello/
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