c. 1500

Virgin and Child

Images of the Virgin and Child could be found in many homes in fifteenth-century Florence. The intimate and tender portrayal of mother and infant as if seen through a window with a ledge was popularized in both painting and sculpture, thought to help children learn about religion.

The della Robbia family became famous for inventing the technique of making molded and glazed ceramic sculptures. These could be replicated in some numbers, perhaps making them affordable for relatively modest households.