16th Century Madonna with Child Tuscan School Sculpture Polychrome Stucco

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16th Century Madonna with Child Tuscan School Sculpture Polychrome Stucco

About the Item

Tuscany, 16th century Madonna with Child Polychrome stucco, 31 x 34 cm The relief depicts the traditional couple of the Madonna and Child. He is depicted in the arms of his mother, posed realistically while extending his small right hand towards the extended leg, rather than in the usual act of blessing. This is not the only anomaly with respect to traditional iconography: the Virgin is in fact presented with her long loose hair falling in soft waves on her shoulders (attribute of the Magdalene), and not already neatly enclosed under the veil of the maphorion. The artist would therefore seem to have favored a delicate, significantly naturalistic treatment of the scene, from which to derive the relative climate of intimate recollection certainly favored in this modern icon. A graceful parapet decorated with subtle vegetal ornaments concludes the divine couple at the bottom. The artist, probably from Tuscany, very clearly collects the suggestions coming from the examples of the carved woods of Benedetto da Maiano (Benedetto di Leonardo, Maiano 1442 - Florence 1497) and from the compositional organizations of the sculptural reliefs of Bernardo Rossellino (Settignano 1409 - Florence 1462), both architects and sculptors, while not slavishly approaching the Renaissance linearism of the two. For the unusual design of the Madonna's hair, one could instead run to the impressions aroused on the table by Lucas Cranach the Elder (Kronach 1472 - Weimar 1553) on canvases today on the antiques market. Also known as Benedetto di Leonardo, he was an Italian architect and sculptor. His artistic training took place within the family, thanks to the guidance of his father carver Leonardo d'Antonio and to the contact with the two brothers Giuliano and Giovanni. He began his artistic activity as a sculptor, working with wood, and soon became famous, so much so that he decorated the ceilings of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The artist, thanks to a soft and harmonious style, in which idealization, naturalism and technical virtuosity coexisted in the right measure, became in the last thirty years of the fifteenth century one of the most renowned artists in Florence. The request for many of his works by the local client, fascinated by the style of the master so inclined to reflect the social and spiritual values ??spread to the inside the Medici Lordship, determined the formation of a structured workshop, with students and collaborators able to use the best plastic models of the master to translate them with different materials. The physiognomies and iconography allow us to observe how the author was part of the prolific workshop of the Maiano, rediscovering a chromatic and expressive quality, especially in the face of the Virgin, who protects the Child with maternal love. Furthermore, the attention paid to the rendering of the drapery is undeniable. It must be remembered that in Benedetto's workshop the work was done starting from the relief mold and, following the direct instructions of the master, the overall formal finishing was completed. A series of comparisons can be made with the three reliefs in a private collection (two of which are listed in the Zeri photo library as Benedetto da Maiano's scope), with one that appeared on the Italian antiques market and one kept at the Staatliche Museen in Berlin. Two other versions that differ in the absence of the angel's face below are kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and at Cascina Corio, Ronchetto sul Naviglio, Milan (anonymous by Benedetto da Maiano). Benedetto da Maiano presents himself as a notable representative of the Florentine culture of the late fifteenth century. His refined and elegant lines, combined with a careful attention to descriptive detail have been able to influence a wide circle of artists orbiting around his figure. Starting from the pure source of Rossellinian art, he tried to give his figures a more intense and dramatic life, a greater breadth to his forms.

Dimensions:
Height: 13.39 in (34 cm)Width: 12.21 in (31 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Stucco,Molded,Polished,Polychromed
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
16th Century
Date of Manufacture:
16th Century
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Milan, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU5918226732642