Bust of a Youth in a Garland
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Authors
Andrea della Robbia
Date
Type
image
Language
Keyword
Bust , Boy , Youth , Garland
Alternative Title
Abstract
The original location and subject of this bust are unknown. Angelo Maria Bandini referred to the work as ""St. Ansanus,"" but there is insufficient evidence to support this identification. The modeling, meditative turn of the head, and shell-niche behind (glazed purple, in imitation of marble or porphyry) all create a classical image, which has lead some scholars to suggest that this is not a saint at all, but a pagan hero. Regardless, the classicism of the sculpture reminds us that clay was a classical medium, discussed in Pliny and revived in the Renaissance. The sculpture is of glazed terracotta and can be found today in the Museo Bandini in Fiesole. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Description
Museo Bandini, Fiesole
Citation
Giancarlo Gentilini, ed., I Della Robbia e l'arte nuova della scultura invetriata (Florence: Giunti, 1998), cat. II: 20, pp.211-12; Cristinia Gnoni Maravelli, ed., Museo Bandini di Fiesole: Guida alla visita del museo e alla scoperta del territorio (Florence: Edizioni Polistampa, 2011), 88.