Andrea della Robbia (1435–1525): The Madonna in Adoration of the Christ Child c. 1470 - 1475

Great works from the early Renaissance are hard to come by. Monumental, glazed terracotta roundels by Andrea della Robbia are impossible finds.

 

The quality of this work is outstanding. Both wreath and roundel have been sculpted and glazed with the same attention to detail. The angels’ faces, the Madonna’s gaze and the gestures of the Christ Child are not just simply beautiful and sweetly modelled but display a striking psychological depth.

 

I was asked to deal with this work in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Things were quiet and I was researching and preparing this work for a special presentation. A private client saw it in December 2021 and jumped at the chance of acquiring it before everyone else. I was very pleased to broker an agreement between the new owner and the director at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where the piece is now on long-term display.

The Madonna in Adoration of the Christ Child

Roundel in relief ib glazed terracotta.

188cm diameter 

• Private Collection, Spain

• Collection of Gonzalo de Mora y Aragón, V Marchese di Casa Riera and III Conte de Mora (1919-2006), Villa Magnam, Biarritz to 1987