Lot 61: After Luca della Robbia (Italian, 1400-1482): A patinated composition relief of a panel of the Cantoria reputedly cast from the original

reputedly cast from the original
depicting choir singers, 99cm high x 62.5cm wide

The present relief is cast from an original panel from Della Robbia's earliest documented work, the Cantoria or singing gallery of Florence cathedral. In 1431 Della Robbia was commissioned to produce ten carved marble panels to fit around the singing gallery or organ loft of Florence cathedral. These were mounted in an architectural setting, with the upper part enclosing four panels and resembling a Roman sarcophagus, with a further panel on each end and four further reliefs in the console below. Originally situated above the door of the North Sacristy, the panels were dismantled in 1688 and are now in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo of Florence Cathedral.

Related Literature: Italian Renaissance Sculpture, J.M. Olsen, Thames and Hudson, London 1992, page 75.