Giovanni della Robbia

Florence, 1469 - 1529/30

Giovanni was among many of Andrea’s children active in his father’s workshop with a penchant for exuberant decoration, nourished by a fascination with archaeology that was fashionable in the early 16th century. He was principally responsible for the production of glazed vases, most commonly oval or amphora-shaped, increasing in complexity, and often replicated through the use of moulds, with variants in the decoration.

Archangel

Glazed terracotta, 42 x 24.5 x 9 cm

Provenance

Private collection

Giancarlo Gentilini dated the artwoks around 1515-20 and connected it with mature works by Giovanni della Robbia, the most prolific, independent and innovative of the five sons of Andrea della Robbia (1435 - 1525). Having first collaborated with his father, Giovanni continued his family’s ‘secret’ artistic tradition of glazing terracotta and became heir to the celebrated Della Robbia workshop in via Guelfa.

Giovanni’s production was held in high esteem and distinguishes itself for its exuberant decoration, brought up to date to meet the taste for the antique which was so prevalent during the Renaissance. His sculptures are characterised by a wide range of intense colour glazes, frequently gone over to achieve a more graphic or pictorial effect, his attention todetail and liveliness in design (ultimately derived from Andrea del Verrocchio) which is visible in the dynamic poses adopted by his figures, in their facial expressions and animated draperies suggesting movement. All these features are to be found in this glazed terracotta relief of an Angel, characteristic of Giovanni della Robbia’s maturity and datable to the second decade of the sixteenth century, when he was already working autonomously.