CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 10/25/2016

Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence

Produced about 1460 by Luca della Robbia, Renaissance inventor of a closely-guarded glaze formula for terra cotta relief and sculpture, "Madonna and Child with Lilies" is an excellent example of its maker's interest in naturalistic representation. Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence curator and author Marietta Cambareri writes, "The baby turns away from his mother to reach for the lilies: she cannot hold him back from the beauties of the earth, attractive as toys to this little child… This baby acts like a real little child, one who embraces recognizable elements of the world of the viewers. Lilies in their purity are a common symbol of Mary, as well as an emblem of the city of Florence; the brilliant blue sky and the verdant green carpet are signals of the natural world. The wonder of the religious idea expressed in this image is that this infant is God incarnate, his miraculous humanity emphasized by his similarity to other children."