Virgin and Child

Andrea was the nephew and disciple of Luca della Robbia, who developed the blue and white glazes used on terracotta sculpture with which the name della Robbia is associated. By the time he made the Lehman Madonna, about 1470–75, Andrea had for some years been chiefly responsible for the output of the family shop in the via Guelfa, Florence. Although he was a faithful follower of his uncle's style, his own personality emerged in works such as this, with its exceptionally high relief, in which he achieved monumental forms without sacrificing any of that sweetness and harmony of expression for which Luca is so admired.