The Allure of Glazed Terracotta in Renaissance Italy

"This book explores the role of glazed terracotta sculpture in Renaissance Italy, from c. 1450 to the mid-1530s. In its brightness and intense colour glazed terracotta strongly attracted the viewer's gaze. Its pure and radiant surfaces also had the power to raise the mind and soul of the faithful to contemplation of the divine. The quasi-magical process of firing earthenware coated with tin-based paste, promoted initially by imports from the East, was seized upon by Luca della Robbia, who realised that glazed terracotta was the ideal vehicle for the numinous. He began to create sculptures in the medium in the 1430s, and continued to produce them for the rest of his life. After Luca's death, his nephew, Andrea della Robbia, inherited his workshop in Florence and continued to develop the medium, together with his sons. The book considers some of the large-scale altarpieces created by the Della Robbia family in parallel with a number of small-scale figures in glazed terracotta, mostly made by unidentified sculptors. The captivating illustrations integrate these two categories of glazed terracotta sculpture into the history of Italian Renaissance art. By focusing on a specific artistic medium which stimulated piety in both ecclesiastical and domestic contexts, this book offers new ways of thinking about the religious art of the Italian Renaissance. The links it establishes between lay devotion and the creation of religious images in glazed terracotta invite reassessment of habitual distinctions between private and public art."-- Provided by publisher Ce livre explore le rôle de la sculpture en terre cuite émaillée dans l'Italie de la Renaissance, de c. 1450 au milieu des années 1530. Par sa luminosité et sa couleur intense, la terre cuite émaillée attirait fortement le regard du spectateur. Ses surfaces pures et rayonnantes avaient aussi le pouvoir d'élever l'esprit et l'âme des fidèles à la contemplation du divin. Le procédé quasi-magique de la cuisson de la faïence enduite d'une pâte à base d'étain, favorisé initialement par les importations d'Orient, est saisi par Luca della Robbia, qui réalise que la terre cuite vernissée est le véhicule idéal pour le numineux. Il a commencé à créer des sculptures dans le médium dans les années 1430 et a continué à les produire pour le reste de sa vie. Après la mort de Luca, son neveu, Andrea della Robbia, a hérité de son atelier à Florence et a continué à développer le médium, avec ses fils. Le livre considère certains des retables à grande échelle créés par la famille Della Robbia en parallèle avec un certain nombre de figures à petite échelle en terre cuite vernissée, principalement réalisées par des sculpteurs non identifiés. Les illustrations captivantes intègrent ces deux catégories de sculpture en terre cuite vernissée dans l'histoire de l'art de la Renaissance italienne. En se concentrant sur un médium artistique spécifique qui a stimulé la piété dans des contextes ecclésiastiques et domestiques, ce livre propose de nouvelles façons de penser l'art religieux de la Renaissance italienne. Les liens qu'elle établit entre la dévotion laïque et la création d'images religieuses en terre cuite émaillée invitent à réévaluer les distinctions habituelles entre art privé et art public "This book explores the role of glazed terracotta sculpture in Renaissance Italy, from c. 1450 to the mid-1530s. In its brightness and intense colour glazed terracotta strongly attracted the viewer's gaze. Its pure and radiant surfaces also had the power to raise the mind and soul of the faithful to contemplation of the divine. The quasi-magical process of firing earthenware coated with tin-based paste, promoted initially by imports from the East, was seized upon by Luca della Robbia, who realised that glazed terracotta was the ideal vehicle for the numinous. He began to create sculptures in the medium in the 1430s, and continued to produce them for the rest of his life. After Luca's death, his nephew, Andrea della Robbia, inherited his workshop in Florence and continued to develop the medium, together with his sons. The book considers some of the large-scale altarpieces created by the Della Robbia family in parallel with a number of small-scale figures in glazed terracotta, mostly made by unidentified sculptors. The captivating illustrations integrate these two categories of glazed terracotta sculpture into the history of Italian Renaissance art. By focusing on a specific artistic medium which stimulated piety in both ecclesiastical and domestic contexts, this book offers new ways of thinking about the religious art of the Italian Renaissance. The links it establishes between lay devotion and the creation of religious images in glazed terracotta invite reassessment of habitual distinctions between private and public art."-- Résumé de l'éditeur This book explores the role of glazed terracotta sculpture in Renaissance Italy, from c. 1450 to the mid-1530s. In its brightness and intense colour glazed terracotta strongly attracted the viewer?s gaze. Its pure and radiant surfaces also had the power to raise the mind and soul of the faithful to contemplation of the divine. The quasi-magical process of firing earthenware coated with tin-based paste, promoted initially by imports from the East, was seized upon by Luca della Robbia, who realised that glazed terracotta was the ideal vehicle for the numinous. He began to create sculptures in the medium in the 1430s, and continued to produce them for the rest of his life. After Luca?s death, his nephew, Andrea della Robbia, inherited his workshop in Florence and continued to develop the medium, together with his sons.0The book considers some of the large-scale altarpieces created by the Della Robbia family in parallel with a number of small-scale figures in glazed terracotta, mostly made by unidentified sculptors. The captivating illustrations integrate these two categories of glazed terracotta sculpture into the history of Italian Renaissance art. By focusing on a specific artistic medium which stimulated piety in both ecclesiastical and domestic contexts, this book offers new ways of thinking about the religious art of the Italian Renaissance. The links it establishes between lay devotion and the creation of religious images in glazed terracotta invite reassessment of habitual distinctions between private and public art Front Matter Introduction. Between High Art and the Decorative Arts Chapter One. Glazing Across the Mediterranean Chapter Two. Italian Centres of Ceramic Production Chapter Three. Developing the Successful Formula Chapter Four. Between the Painted and the Sculpted Image Chapter Five. Beholders of Glazed Terracotta Figures Chapter Six. Multisensory Experience Chapter Seven. Designed for Transport Chapter Eight. Non-Tuscan Commissions Chapter Nine. Local Cults Chapter Ten. The Della Robbia Artists as Worshippers Chapter Eleven. Pious Expectations Chapter Twelve. Devotion through the Glaze Final Remarks Back Matter