The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Francis and Giovanni Gualberto

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Francis and Giovanni Gualberto

c. 1510–20
(Italian, 1461–1521)
Overall: 174 x 96 x 27 cm (68 1/2 x 37 13/16 x 10 5/8 in.)

Description

The Madonna sits upon a throne with the Christ child standing on her knee. He is steadied by his mother, turning delicately to grasp her robe for support. On the left is Saint Francis, identified by his stigmata. On the right, Saint Giovanni Gualberto is identified by his monk's robe and distinctive processional cross. The brown robes of the saints, the purple of the Virgin's tunic (a shade characteristic of the artist), and the flesh tones of the figures contrast strongly against the bright blue background. In the semicircular sky behind the figures, three winged cherub heads emerge, representing a host of angels. Glazed terracotta is both durable and decorative and the gleaming white of this piece would have stood out in the darkness of a church. The medium was made popular by Renaissance artist Luca della Robbia and came into fashion as a substitute for expensive carved marble. A rounded arch frame embellished with fruit and flower garlands as well as egg-and-dart and cord moldings accompanied the work when it was acquired, but was later determined not to be original and removed. Buglioni's work bears the influence of the della Robbias, particularly in the simple color scheme. Buglioni likely worked in the studio of Luca's nephew, Andrea, where he would have learned the technique of glazing terracotta.
  • Raoul Heilbronner, died 1941 (Paris, France), by 1911 - 1914;
    Confiscated by the French government, 1914;
    Sold, Galerie George Petit, Paris, June 22-23, 1921, lot 144, through Jacques Seligman to P. W. French & Co, New York, to Jeptha Homer Wade;
    Jeptha Homer Wade, 1857-1926, by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1921.
  • W. M. M. "An Enthroned Madonna and Child with Saints by Benedetto Buglioni." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 9, no. 2 (February 1922): 22-26. Reproduced: P. 22; Mentioned: P. 23-26 www.jstor.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Jenifer Neils. The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: The Museum in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1982. Mentioned: p. 42; Reproduced: p. 43, fig. 45
    Cambareri, Marietta, et.al. Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence. Boston: MFA Publications, 2016. Reproduced: p. 122, fig, 85 Mention: p. 166, cat. # 85
  • "The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art." Cleveland Museum of Art. June 29 to September 5, 1982.
  • {{cite web|title=Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Francis and Giovanni Gualberto|url=false|author=Benedetto Buglioni|year=c. 1510–20|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.1180