Madonna and Child

Abstract

The original location of this almost life-size glazed terracotta Madonna is unknown. In the eighteenth century it was donated to the Oratorio di San Tommaso d'Aquino, Florence, where it remains today in relative obscurity, generally inacessible to the public. The work was broken into 51 pieces in 1877, when it was restored and moved to its current niche, which was decorated with newly-manufactured glazed terracotta ornaments. Subsequent restorations have revealed the high quality of the work, which most experts now agree is by Luca della Robbia, though there is some debate about dating. Luca is famous for his works that are more restrained in coloring -- just blue and white -- but recently scholars have emphasized that he also made works with a rich variety of colors, such as this one and the comparable Madonna and Child for the Stemma dell'Arte dei Medici e Speziali at Orsanmichele in Florence. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.