Madonna col Bambino (1466)

Donatello (1386-1466) & workshop

Madonna col Bambino (Madonna and Child)
1466
Terra cotta relief, in painted decor with gilt carved wood bracket, 56.5 x 40.6 cm
Wadsworth AtheneumHartford

Donatello was the leading sculptor in Florence during the fifteenth century when reliefs depicting the Madonna and Child were in high demand for devotional display in homes and chapels. Donatello presents the figures in three-quarter view, allowing him to convincingly render depth in the shallow relief. He conveys the human bond shared by this sacred mother and child through the directness of their gaze into each other’s eyes and the tender placement of their hands. Several other casts of this group are known and often his whole workshop became involved in their production. (WA)