安德烈（1435 - 1525年）與喬瓦尼·德拉·羅比亞（1469 - 1529年） 意大利，佛羅倫薩，約1495 - 1500年

the central scene flanked by olive branches suspended by rings; the reverse with various Italian export stamps dated: 9 GEN. 1953 and 10 SET. 1959, and numbered: 4297/798 in red chalk

Dr. Fritz Mannheimer, Amsterdam
Transferred to the Artistic and General Securities Company, Ltd., for Mendelssohn and Co. bank, 1934
Sold by the creditors of Mendelssohn bank to Hans Posse for Adolf Hitler, 1944 taken to Hohenfurth
Recovered by the Monuments Men and sent to the Munich Central Collecting Point (inv. no. 2158 (2158a)), July 1^st, 1945, returned to the Netherlands, December 4^th, 1945
Dr. Fritz Mannheimer Collection sale, Amsterdam, Frederik Muller, 14-21 October 1952, lot 2
Private collection, Rome

 

I Della Robbia. Il dialogo tra le Arti nel Rinascimento, Museo statale d'arte medievale e moderna, Arezzo, Feb. 21-June 7, 2009,  no. 36, pp. 202 and 328, illus.

Marquand, Andrea della Robbia, vol. II, Princeton, 1922
O. von Falke, Katalog der Sammlung F.M., 1936, vol. I, p. 154, cat. no. p.20
G. Gentilini, I Della Robbia La Scultura invetriata nel Rinascimento, Milan 1992
G. Gentilini, I Della Robbia. Il dialogo tra le Arti nel Rinascimento, Milan, 2009, no. 36, pp. 202 and 328, illus.

 

Standard surface abrasions, small chipping and some pitting. Larger chips to outer frame, particularly the Nativity panel and lower right corner of the right hand decorative panel. Expertly repaired break in upper right corner of the Nativity panel through the Virgin's halo down along her back on blue ground through green turf around her foot. Some restoration to edge of drapery near foot. Minor cracks, chipping and losses to frame. Otherwise minor surface repairs and beautiful quality.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

First published in 1922 by Marquand and included in the important 2009 exhibition devoted to the rich artistic production of the immensely successful Della Robbia family, this relief was made by Andrea della Robbia and his son Giovanni in the latter part of the 15th century. Andrea was the protégé of the founder of the renowned Renaissance family workshop, his uncle Luca della Robbia. Luca invented the technique of producing glazed terracotta relief sculpture that imitated marble statuary in a format that was more rapidly produced, more easily transported, and above all more colorful. The popularity of the material and their designs kept the family enormously active, creating altarpieces, tabernacles, busts, and architectural elements from the early 15th century well into the 16th century. Andrea trained under Luca from a young age and worked by his side before taking over the workshop by 1470. His style was more complex, colorful, and expressive than Luca's more reserved work, and under his direction the workshop grew considerably.

By the end of the 15th century more of the production was taken on by assistants, including several of Andrea's sons, who would carry on the family business after Andrea's death in 1525. The most distinguished of his sons, Giovanni della Robbia, continued this legacy with much success, introducing several innovations of his own. Giovanni’s early works in collaboration with his father include a series of medallions in the Loggia of San Paolo (1493–95) and the present predella. His first documented work for which he was individually contracted was a grand lavabo in Santa Maria Novella (1497).

The present composition of the Nativity with flanking pilasters incorporating olive branches was Andrea's  invention. As Gentilini explains in his extensive entry on this relief (2009, op.cit., no. 36), from the mid 1460s, Andrea produced variations on this theme. In 1458, Andrea was commissioned to produce an altarpiece which is now in Santa Maria Angeli in Assisi. The Nativity scene on the predella of that work shows the figures within a cave and angel above announcing the birth of Christ. In the central relief of the predella of the triptych in Santa Fioria circa 1464 the Virgin appears in an enclosed setting with a covered head and a shepherd. By 1466, Andrea's compositions are slightly simplified and more symmetrical, with two trees flanking the scene, like the present composition (see Marquand, op. cit., p. 62, no. 168, fig. 170 for the Oratory of the Arciconfraternita della Misericordia, Florence ). The designs are again somewhat transformed in the later 15th century when Andrea's compositions become more austere, almost certainly motivated by the influence Savanorola’s strict religious teachings in Florence at that time (Gentilini 1992, vol. I, op.cit.., Museo Civico, Montepulciano predella relief on altar originally for Santa Maria Fontecastello, circa 1480-84, p. 198)(fig. 1).