4 GIROLAMO
DELLA ROBBIA
Italian (born Florence,
active in France), 1488-1566
Bust of a Man, 1526-1535
Tin-glazed earthenware with black
underglaze accents on the eyes
46.4 cm(18I/4in.)
95.SC.21
This bust depicts a handsome, bearded male dressed in Roman-style armor and toga
and rendered in three-quarter relief. The classical costume suggests his identity as an
ancient Roman or Gallic hero. The bust belongs to a series of portraits produced by
Girolamo della Robbia for the Chateau d'Assier near Figeac, northeast of Toulouse,
in the south of France. The castle was built by Jacques, called Galiot, de Gourdon de
Genouillac (1465-1546), a celebrated soldier and military official in the court of
Francois I. The decoration of the building was begun in 1526 and completed by 1535.
The design, known from engravings, incorporated relief portraits set into the walls of
the courtyard. Like the other sculptures in this group, the Museum's bust was glazed
white to imitate marble and would have been framed in a round, wreathed medallion.
Its high-relief projection and bright reflective surface would have created a striking
contrast with the flat, gray wall on which it was placed.
Girolamo was trained by his father in the Delia Robbia workshop in Florence,
famous from the 1440s for its production of glazed terracotta sculpture. The
Museums bust exemplifies Girolamo's particular approach to this medium, in
which the expressive, naturalistic modeling of sculptural volumes and anatomical
features—seen here in the strong nose, sunken eyes, and delicately furrowed brow—
takes precedence over polychrome glazing and ornament. Girolamo may have left
Florence to serve the French king and his court as early as 1517. Preceding other Italian
artists recruited by Francois I, Girolamo was a pioneer in spreading the influence of the
Italian style and establishing a more international reputation for Delia Robbian art.
PAF24 EUROPEAN SCULPTURE