Luca della Robbia

Luca della Robbia (/ˌdɛlə ˈrɒbiə/, also US: /- ˈroʊb-/,^[1][2][3] Italian: [ˈluːka della ˈrobbja, - ˈrɔb-]; 1399/1400–1482) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Florence. Della Robbia is noted for his colorful, tin-glazed terracotta statuary, a technique that he invented and passed on to his nephew Andrea della Robbia and great-nephews Giovanni della Robbia and Girolamo della Robbia. Although a leading sculptor in stone, after developing his technique in the early 1440s he worked primarily in terracotta.^[4] His large workshop produced both less expensive works cast from molds in multiple versions, and more expensive one-off individually modeled pieces.

The vibrant, polychrome glazes made his creations both more durable and more expressive.^[4] His work is noted for its charm rather than the drama of the work of some of his contemporaries. Two of his famous works are The Nativity (c. 1460) and Madonna and Child (c. 1475). In stone, his most famous work is also his first major commission, the choir gallery, Cantoria in the Florence Cathedral (1431–1438).^[5]

Della Robbia was praised by his compatriot Leon Battista Alberti for genius comparable to that of the sculptors Donatello and Lorenzo Ghiberti, the architect Filippo Brunelleschi, and the painter Masaccio. By ranking him with contemporary artists of this stature, Alberti noted the interest and strength of Luca's work in marble and bronze, as well as in the terra-cottas always associated with his name.^[5]