In fifteenth-century Florence, an impressive phenomenon occurred: everyone who could somehow afford it wanted to have an image of the Madonna for private devotion at home. Wealthy people could have one painted by Botticelli or commission a marble relief from Donatello.
In order to satisfy also the desires of less well-off customers, reliefs were modelled from inexpensive materials such as clay or stucco, which could then be reproduced multiple times by casting. The compositions usually derived from prominent sculptors and the colouring was executed in the best painting studios in the city. This resulted in some of the most enchanting creations of the Italian Renaissance.
No wonder, then, that they were enthusiastically collected – and unfortunately also forged – in the nineteenth century. It is therefore particularly pleasing that four Madonna reliefs from the 15th century have been preserved in the Dresden Skulpturensammlung – largely unnoticed until now. After careful restoration and thorough research, they can now be displayed again after many decades of oblivion. These are important discoveries, because even if there were once many such Madonnas, originals are rare today. In the context of painting, printmaking, and decorative arts of the period, the exhibition illustrates how, from about 1410 onwards, the theme of the Virgin and Child was transformed into a deeply human and touching image type in Florence, culminating in Raphael’s famous works.
