An Italian Glazed Terracotta Relief Roundel of the Arms of the Vallumbrosan Order, della Robbia Workshop, Early 16th Century or Later, Florence

Maurice Kahn Collection, Paris, 5 December 1910, no. 201

William Randolph Hearst Collection, acquired by the present owner at his sale, Gimbel's New York 1941 (no. 1381-24, p. 301)

 

A. Marquand, Robbia Heraldry,  Princeton, 1919, p. 203, cat. no. 261

Some wear and chipping throughout and restorations to chips throughout. Restoration to inner mauve-colored ground. Restoration to lower section of sleeve on shield and to parts of fingers. Restoration to patch on left side of shield. Restoration to several areas on fruiting border where seperately modeled sections were originally joined. The lot is sold with a thermoluminescence analysis report from Oxford Authentication, Ltd. indicating that three samples (N109e55) were last fired between 200 and 400 years ago, with one of the samples showing different TL properties. It is possible that the inconsistent result is due to restorations.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The materials and format of the brightly colored glazed terracotta relief sculpture of the della Robbia family workshop lent itself well to the production of coats of arms.  Emblems of individuals, families, guilds, cities, institutions and religious orders appeared as independent crests and as identifying marks on altarpieces and monuments.  The present lot shows the emblem of the Vallumbrosian Order, a Benedictine congregation founded in the 11^th century by Saint John Gualbert (canonized in 1193).  The order takes its name from the motherhouse situated in the Apennines east of Florence, a setting later made famous by a poetic reference in John Milton's Paradise Lost.  A closely related della Robbia wreath and arms of the same emblem is at the nearby Abbey of Montescalari in Figline Valdarno (see G. Gentilini, I della Robbia: la scultura invetriata nel rinascamento, Florence, 1992, p. 334).

The lot is sold with a thermoluminescence analysis report from Oxford Authentication, Ltd. indicating that three samples (N109e55) were last fired between 200 and 400 years ago, with one of the samples showing different TL properties.