Day 1 Fine Furniture & Works of Art (lots 1- 498) (477) Wed, 28th Sep 2016, Edinburgh Lot 322 Estimate: £20000 - £30000 + Fees ITALIAN RENAISSANCE TERRACOTTA RELIEF OF THE VIRGIN AND CHILD 15TH CENTURY, PROBABLY FLORENCE the Virgin modelled three quarter length with her right hand raised and resting on the arm of the Child who stands leaning into her left side, his arms raised in an embrace, her face turned slightly to the left with a downward gaze 84cm high Note: This tender terracotta Virgin and Child by an unknown 15th century Florentine sculptor embodies the artistic changes occurring in Italy, and in particular Florence, during the first part of the century and the early stages of the Renaissance. It is a compelling study in contradictions. There is an implicit intimacy between the two subjects, the child's body leans fully against the Virgin, whose hands gently rest on the child's back and forearm in a loose embrace. There is, however, a contemplative distance as well: their eyes do not meet, and the Virgin's downward gaze evokes a feeling of internal contemplation. She appears gentle, yet rigid; engaged, but aloof; comforting, but concerned. It is the child's left hand, the fingers affectionately curved around the draped neckline of the Virgin's gown that connects the two so poignantly. The 15th century witnessed an increased demand for private and public commissions of sculpture, and artists sought materials to produce works of art to satisfy the market. They began to execute sculptures increasingly in materials that were easily worked, quick to produce, and less costly than marble or bronze. The most common of these materials was terracotta, or wet clay, that could be modelled and fired. A flexible and versatile medium, it could rival painting in its exploitation of movement to create credible figures in the round. Ranging in colour from dull ochre to red, terracotta figures were often painted, in some cases to imitate marble or bronze. The potential of using clay to produce devotional images was first recognised by two of the leading sculptors in early 15th- century Florence. Lorenzo Ghiberti, who designed and produced the impressive bronze doors for the Florence Baptistry, ran a large workshop where he trained most of the leading sculptors of the period. Most notable among them was the young Donatello, who became the most influential sculptor of the period. The Virgin and Child was a popular theme and a reliable subject, allowing for subtle variations in composition and execution which found classic expression in the works of Donatello, Luca della Robbia, and a number of other Florentine sculptors. Provenance: Dr. James von Bleichroder, Berlin (1860-1937) Forced sale at Rudolph Lepke's Kunst-Auktion-Haus, Berlin, 3 May, 1938, lot 121, pl. 25 Frederick W. Schumacher, Columbus, Ohio Bequest to the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts [today the Columbus Museum of Art], Columbus, Ohio, 1957 (1957.39.4) Restituted to the heirs in 2011 Literature: P.R. Adams, 'Mr. Schumacher buys for Columbus', The Art News, vol. 38, no. 11 (16 December, 1939), p. 7. ill. [as style of Jacopo della Quercia] W. R. Valentiner, The Frederick W. Schumacher Collection, privately printed, Columbus, Ohio, 1955, no. 81, p. 172 [as Florentine, and related to Michelozzo]. U. Middendorf, Journal of the Museo Civico in Ferrara [publication date unknown]..