Saint Martha
Statuette
second half 15th century (made)
second half 15th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This statuette is made in Italy in the second half of the 15th century and in the style of the Della Robbia.
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 | Saint Martha (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Polychrome enamelled terracotta |
| Brief description | Statuette, polychrome enamelled terracotta, St Martha, in the style of the Della Robbiam, Italy, second half of 15th century |
| Physical description | This statuette shows the Saint wearing a white habit with a black veil and a yellow halo. The Saint is shown in full length on a shallow purplish base. In her right hand is a palm (broken) and in her left a purple and yellow book. At her right side is a green dragon, from whose mouth protrude the legs and buttocks of a child. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Purchased, £5 13s. 1d. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This statuette is made in Italy in the second half of the 15th century and in the style of the Della Robbia. 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. |
| Bibliographic reference | 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. 258 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1090-1855 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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