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The Story of the della Robbia and Luca della Robbia
Many museums and churches around the world are graced with Della Robbia artwork. It began in the 15th century when Luca della Robbia, who, together with Donatello and Michelozzo along with many other Florentine Renaissance sculptors, trained in Ghiberti’s workshop, led the Florentine Renaissance design.
Luca reinvented and perfected the lost art of tin glazing terracotta, reaching an unsurpassed perfection in creating a unique pure white glaze shining on stunning sacred figures, highlighted by a sublime and most unique blue sky background.
Luca was the most famous and well known della Robbia artist, but one must not forget his nephew Andrea della Robbia, who was almost on par with Luca. Andrea produced the amazing collection of altar pieces commissioned by the Medici for La Verna Monastery near Arezzo as well the famous 9 plaques gracing the Hospital of the Innocents in Florence, (each plaque represents a different baby in swaddling clothes) and countless other works he left to us. Andrea’s son, Giovanni, was also a great Renaissance artist who continued the glorious della Robbia tradition. His masterpiece: 66 busts of Florentine benefactors gracing the Great Cloister of La Certosa di Firenze.
When you visit Tuscany you will find della Robbia sculptures everywhere: churches altars, hospital facades, ancient palace facades, monasteries, cloisters, street intersections and museums.
Shop della Robbia
Biordi Art Imports offers the best collection of della Robbia’s outside of Tuscany. Available online at Biordi.com and at our landmark retail store at 412 Columbus Ave. in San Francisco! Our Biordi della Robbia’s are delicately executed replicas that capture the original colors with sculptural details that can only be found in the original della Robbia designs of the 15th century.
A photo of Ivana Dolfi with some of her beautiful della Robbias. Ivana is a della Robbia master who creates magnificent della Robbias for Biordi Art Imports in Tuscany.