CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 8/12/2016

Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence

It's hard to believe that this decorative medallion, "Roundel with Head of a Youth," was produced around 1470 AD. Made of humble terra cotta, its still vivid colors are the result of the secret glaze formula of Florentine Renaissance sculptor Luca della Robbia, which was guarded ferociously and passed down through his family for generations. It is reproduced from MFA Boston's excellent catalogue to the show on view through December 4—the first major exhibition in the United States devoted to della Robbia sculpture, which Randy Kennedy of The New York Times calls "a crowning achievement of the Renaissance that is too often overlooked amid Raphaels and Michelangelos."