Vasari,
Gaurico, and several other early writers give contradictory accounts of Luca della Robbia's youth, training, and early works. He was born in Florence, the son of a member of the
Arte della Lana (wool-workers
guild). He may have trained as a
goldsmith under Leonardo di Ser Giovanni according to art historian Vasari, before working with
Ghiberti on his first set of bronze doors for the
Florence Baptistry. He was heavily influenced by
Donatello, and in the 1420s, was used by the architect
Filippo Brunelleschi for the sculptural decoration of his buildings, although the rondels of swaddled babies on the
façade of the
loggia of the
Ospedale degli Innocenti were made by Andrea, ca. 1487, long after Brunelleschi's death in 1446). His important commission for a '''' ("singing gallery"; 1431–1438) in Florence Cathedral came before he joined the sculptor's guild
Arte dei Maestri di Pietra e Legname (for workers in stone and wood) in 1432. According to Vasari, the
Medici family were responsible for securing the commission for him.
Sculpture His first documented commission was the
Cantoria ("Singing Gallery"; 1431–1438) for the
Cathedral of Florence, his major work in marble. During the seven years it took della Robbia to carve the reliefs under the supervision of
Brunelleschi, his style developed. While the earliest carved panels are fairly symmetric and lack movement, in later panels the movement of the singers becomes much more evident and dynamic. The Singing Gallery shows children singing, dancing, and making music to "praise the Lord" in the words of Psalm 150. Their figures are at once lively, finely observed, and gracefully combined in groups designed to fit the ten panels of the gallery. The advanced nature of the work of the Cantoria has been seen to establish Luca della Robbia's skill in stone, as well as to secure his place as a major Florentine artist and student of Renaissance naturalism.
Terracotta Della Robbia's earliest surviving freestanding sculpture is the white
tin-glazed terracotta
Visitation in the church of
San Giovanni Fuoricivitas of Pistoia, dating to 1445. Although the date of della Robbia's first work in colored glazed terra-cotta is not known, his demonstrated control of this medium secured him two major commissions for the duomo of Florence: the large reliefs of the
Resurrection (also from 1445) and the
Ascension of Christ(1446). The pliant medium of baked clay covered with a "slip" of vitrified lead and refined minerals permitted a lustrous, polished surface capable of reflecting light and color that was beautifully appropriate for architectural sculpture. Whether animating the vast, somber space of the Cathedral or in the series
Twelve Apostles gracing the pristine surfaces of the small Pazzi Chapel (1443–1450) in Florence, della Robbia's reliefs in this medium achieved a high level of mastery. Working with assistants, including members of his own family, della Robbia produced a number of decorative reliefs and altarpieces until the end of his life. One of the arguably finest examples is the enameled terra-cotta ceiling (1466) of the
Chapel of the Cardinal of Portugal in San Miniato, Florence. Another relief, acquired by the
Victoria and Albert Museum in 1861, shows his free use of color: an enormous medallion containing the arms of
René of Anjou, and other heraldic devices; it is surrounded by an intricately modeled wreath of brilliantly colored fruit and flowers, including apples, lemons, oranges, and fir cones. This medallion was set up on the facade of the
Pazzi Palace to commemorate René's visit to Florence in 1442.
Gallery Luca della robbia, formelle, 1431-38, 01.JPG|All ten original marble reliefs of the
Cantoria (1431–1438) in the
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence Luca della Robbia, Mary and Child with Two Adoring Angels, 1430-40, terracotta, Berlin, Bode-Museum.jpg|
Mary and Child with Two Adoring Angels, ca. 1430–1440, polychromed, 109,5 × 130,5 cm,
Bode Museum, Berlin Ciborio di luca della robbia, 1443, da s.m. nuova 01.JPG|
Ciborium from the
Ospedale di Santa Maria Nuova, Florence, ca. 1443 Andrea della Robbia Thronende Madonna Medici Kapelle Santa Croce Florenz-1.jpg|
Madonna Enthroned, Medici chapel,
Santa Croce, Florence Virgin and Child in a niche MET DP225831.jpg|
Virgin and Child in a Niche, ca. 1460,
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Nativity by Luca della Robbia - National Gallery of Art, Washington - DSC08609.JPG|
Nativity, ca. 1460,
National Gallery of Art, Washington Luca e andrea della robbia, madonna col bambino (cornice di andrea), 1460-1480 ca..JPG|Roundel by Luca and
Andrea della Robbia, ca. 1460–1480,
Philadelphia Museum of Art Luca della Robbia, Bust of a Saint, 1465-70, Florence, Bargello.jpg|Bust of a Saint from the pharmacy of the
convent of San Marco, Florence, 1465–1470,
Bargello, Florence Workshop of Luca della Robbia, Madonna and Child with Angels, 15. ct., Florence, Bargello.jpg|
Madonna and Child with Angels, tondo from the
Capucine convent in Florence, Bargello, Florence Luca della Robbia, Madonna of the Apple, Florence, Bargello.jpg|
Madonna of the Apple, Bargello, Florence == References ==