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Virgin Adoring the Christ Child

ca. 1470
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 521
This small arched relief was designed for private devotion in the home. Tabernacles were produced in multiples by the Della Robbia workshop due to their popularity.  Andrea probably made this sculpture himself, as he was known to rework his models to produce variations, and the piece’s composition is unique. It shows Mary kneeling in devotion before her son, the miraculous Christ Child. The vivid blue background extends heavenward, acting as a portal between the natural world and the divine.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Virgin Adoring the Christ Child
  • Artist: Andrea della Robbia (Italian, 1435–1525)
  • Date: ca. 1470
  • Culture: Italian, Florence
  • Medium: Glazed terracotta
  • Dimensions: wt. confirmed: 29 1/2 × 20 1/16 × 5 in., 62 lb. (74.9 × 51 × 12.7 cm, 28.1 kg)
    Framed: 38 1/4 in. × 28 3/4 in. × 5 in. (97.2 × 73 × 12.7 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Adele L. Lehman, in memory of Arthur Lehman, 1965
  • Object Number: 65.181.23
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

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Virgin Adoring the Christ Child
Andrea della Robbia (Italian, 1435–1525)
after 1479
Virgin Adoring the Christ Child
Workshop of Andrea della Robbia (Italian, 1435–1525)
after 1479
Madonna and Child (The Lehman Madonna), Andrea della Robbia Italian, Glazed terracotta, Italian, Florence
Madonna and Child (The Lehman Madonna)
Andrea della Robbia
ca. 1470–75
Pharmacy Jar, Tin-glazed earthenware, Italian
Pharmacy Jar
Italian
1400s
Saint Michael the Archangel, Andrea della Robbia Italian, Glazed terracotta, Italian, Florence
Saint Michael the Archangel
Andrea della Robbia
ca. 1475

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