Large polychrome and gilded terracotta tondo depicting the V - Lot 72

Large polychrome and gilded terracotta tondo depicting the Virgin and Child surrounded by four cherub heads. Portrayed in bust form, her head crowned with a fine crown over her flowing hair, Mary holds the Child, standing in a fold of her cloak, against her with both hands. The Child tenderly places his left arm behind his Mother's neck, clutching a goldfinch in his right hand. Tuscany, Andrea Della Robbia circle, early 16th century D. 76.5 cm In a gilded wood frame D. total: 99.5 cm (a few accidents and restorations to the polychromy, which has been partially restored) Provenance : - Estate of a family from Nice This large tondo is largely based on the composition of the "Madone Foulc" attributed to Andrea della Robia in the Musée de Nîmes (inv. IP.1278, fig.a). Here, however, the bonds of affection between Mary and Jesus are closer, unlike in the Robbian model, where the young mother seems lost in thought while the Child turns away from her, his face facing the viewer. However, apart from the number of cherubic heads, there are more significant dissimilarities, such as the absence of a veil on Mary, the locks of her free hair resting on the front of her shoulders, and above all the presence of a fleur-de-lis crown encircling her head, an unusual element in the representation of Quattrocento Madonnas. However, these elements are not entirely foreign to the iconography of Della Robbia's devotional reliefs. In the relief of the Madonna Adoring the Child, deposited by the Louvre at the Musée Vivenel in Compiègne, the Virgin's hair is free of any veil, with long strands running down her back, and the crown, although not placed on her head, appears above, held by two divine hands (inv. Camp. 75, fig.b); its typology is very similar to that of the tondo. This appears to be a Tuscan work, probably by a Florentine artist working not far from the Della Robbia bottega in the early 16th century. A thermoluminescence test that will be given to the purchaser was carried out by the CIRAM laboratory on 19/12/2024 confirming a dating between 1449 and 1649. Books consulted : - Exhibitions 2002/2003 Nice - Sèvres, Les Della Robbia - Sculptures en terre cuite émaillée de la Renaissance italienne, Musée national Biblique Marc Chagall - Musée national de la Céramique, cat. J. R. Gaborit, M. Bormand. - F. Carta sous la dir. de, Émail et terre cuite à Florence - Les œuvres des Della Robbia au musée national de la Renaissance, Paris, 2018.