Tondo, Mother with Child, ca. 1440

Tondo
Mother with child
ca. 1440
In the style of Luca di Simone di Marco della Robbia
Florenz 1399 – 1482 Florenz
Alabaster casting in relief
Original monochrome surface
DM 65 cm

Museal tondo made of alabaster casting with the considerable diameter of 65 cm. This relief depiction of the Madonna was created in the period of transition between the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance in 15th century Italy.
Mary with the child is shown here as a full-body image. The naked child Jesus balances on her bent knees, which she supports with her left hand at his back. The manneristically elongated fingers of the right hand embrace the foot of the boy. The dialogue of mother and son is expressed not only in the eye contact of intimate affection, but also with the gesture of the left hand, with which the baby Jesus reaches for the veil on the mother's breast, thus turning more strongly toward her. The playfulness in the sculptural execution is reflected not only in the composition of the group of figures, but also in the drapery and the protrusion from the center field of the tondo into the frame. The latter is an expansive trick that allows Mary and Child to emerge more strongly from the picture plane. The entire form of the seated posture and the protruding foot of Mary still refer to the fading late Gothic period, while the dynamic rotation of the figures in relation to each other already embodies the Renaissance.

This type of Madonna relief was usually presented in an architectural setting and was intended for private devotion, placed in niches in the less public rooms of the residence, such as the bedroom. Therefore, this work was probably created for a noble patron. The Madonna is a popular motif frequently found on Italian reliefs of the 15th century. This was especially true for the city of Florence and its surroundings. Here, the Virgin was gladly presented in a caring role as an ideal mother. The popular gestures of the figures create an intimate atmosphere and close physical proximity: Mary reaches for the child's right bare foot with her manneristically elongated fingers; in doing so, Christ's humanity as well as motherly love is emphasized. The tactile aspect of touching the sole of the foot with the hand additionally emphasizes these values and can also be equated with the believer's touching an image of a saint. The three-dimensional devotional image demonstrates to viewers the worship of Christ through physical interaction. This illustrates not only the sense of sight with the aesthetic appreciation of the artwork, but also the sense of touch and the resulting religious experience of the believer. This additional experiential value illustrates the important visual characteristic of Renaissance devotional paintings.

Given the particular popularity of such depictions of the Madonna, a compositional origin can be grasped geographically; stylistically, it cannot be clearly assigned due to the complex relationships of master sculptors and their workshops. Full-round Madonna representations of this type were first made by Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) and Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455). In research, however, Jacopo della Quercia (1374-1438) is also mentioned as the creator of these images. However, Ghiberti is said to be the first Florentine master who perfected the use of materials such as alabaster, stucco or clay for such devotional images. Michelozzo di Bartolommeo (1396-1472) created Madonna reliefs with playful dialogues between mother and child. Donatello (1386-1466) also created tondi such as the Madonna del Perdono and the Piot Madonna with a bust representation of Mary and the child in her arms. Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488) should also be mentioned here, who created expressive, half-figure representations with strongly animated drapery. Particularly well known for tondi are the workshops of Lucca della Robbia (c. 1400-1481) and Andrea della Robbia (1435-1525), who worked in Florence. They forced with the production of casts (the used bone glue forms could be used two to three times), the production of tondi, lunettes or altarpieces, for the private use of such works of art. Stylistically comparable is the Madonna del Roseto or Madonna col Bambino tra due Angeli by Luca della Robbia, dated around 1450/60, who learned his craft among others in Donatello's workshop.

The voluminous drapery as well as the dynamic posture of the figures of the artwork described here are clear characteristics of the production from the transitional phase between international Gothic and the Renaissance, which took place in Italy at a very early stage in the 15th century. Thus, this tondo can be clearly to the time around 1440/50. The method of execution and the use of an alabaster-sand mixture, which was molded in a bone glue model, clearly confirms the chronological dating. The condition of the monochrome, marble imitating setting on the surface is also an exciting indication; as well as the two depressions left and right at the lower edge. These two hollows and the iron stubs of the former mounting rods on the edge on the back of the tondo support the origin and age of the artwork. Above all, the mounting devices clarify the thesis of a placement in a niche of a Tuscan palazzo.
All these technical and art historical facts underpin the international importance of this museum work of art from the heyday of the Florentine Renaissance in the mid-15th century.