Santi Buglioni, genannt „Santi di Michele Viviani“, 1494 Florenz – 1576

MARY WITH THE CHILD BETWEEN LUDWIG THE SAINT AND SAINT GEORG 104 x 77 cm. Wooden panel with iron suspension following the lines of the relief. Accompanied by a copy of an expertise by Giancarlo Gentilini, Florence, May 24, 2023. Terracotta, cast, polychrome glazed. This rare and finely glazed terracotta altarpiece depicts Mary with the blessing infant Jesus between Saint Louis (Louis IX, King of France, 1214-1270), who was canonized in 1297 and is distinguished by his elegant clothing and royal crown. Then there is the proud Saint George (275/285-303) in his shining armour, also recognizable by his crusader's shield. The object of museum quality offered here was certainly part of a chapel of an important manor house, perhaps a castle, as the knightly military virtues associated with the two saints suggest. The relief has not yet been published. It testifies to a unique interpretation of the Delle Robbia sculpture, but is in keeping with the rather eccentric orientation of early Florentine Mannerism, which characterizes the mature phase of Santi Buglioni (1494-1576). Vasari described him in 1568 as the last keeper of the "segreto degl'invetriati di terra". He was the nephew, collaborator and heir of Benedetto Buglioni (1459/60-1521), who in turn was a pupil of Andrea di Michele il Verrocchio (1435-1488). He slowly broke away from the outdated Della Robbia models and the formal and technical conventions. For example, he produced a grandiose frieze depicting the "Seven Works of Mercy" in the portico of the Ospedale del Ceppo in Pistoia (1526-1528). He also produced the spectacular historicizing terracotta floor of the Biblioteca Laurenziana (1548-1554) and was even allowed to model portraits of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). The liquid glaze of the present terracotta is foreign to the glaze of the Della Robbia terracottas and is closer to the visionary painters of early Mannerism (Rosso Fiorentino, Pontormo, Alonso Berruguete and Domenico Beccafumi). Further echoes can be observed: The bold figure of the saint in Florence, for example. Literature: Cf: Allan Marquand, Benedetto and Santi Buglioni, Pinceton 1921. Giancarlo Gentilini, I Della Robbia. La scultura invetriata nel Rinascimento, Florence 1992, pp. 390-449. Cf. Fiamma Domestici, Santi Buglioni, in: I Della Robbia e l'arte nuova della scultura invetriata, Florence 1998, pp. 337-340. Cf. Giancarlo Gentilini, Tommaso Mozzati, Santi Buglioni, in: I Della Robbia. Il dialogo tra le Arti nel Rinascimento, exhibition catalog Arezzo, Milan 2009, p. 363, nos. 109-110. Cf. Giovanni Capecchi, Maria CChristina Masdea, Valerio Tesi, Grazia Tucci, Avvicinatevi alla bellezza. Il fregio dello Spedale del Ceppo, Pistoia 2015. Cf. Liletta Fornasari, Sulle tracce dei Della Robbia. Le vie della terracotta inventriata nell'aretino, Milan 2009. (1360275) (13) Santi Buglioni, also known as "Santi Di Michele Vivani", 1494 Florence - 1576 THE VIRGIN AND CHILD BETWEEN SAINT LOUIS AND SAINT GEORGE 104 x 77 cm. Accompanied by an expert's report by Giancarlo Gentilini, Florence, 24 May 2023, in copy. Cast and polychrome glazed terracotta. The rare and finely glazed terracotta altarpiece depicts The Virgin Blessing the Infant Christ between two saints: Saint Louis (Louis IX, King of France, 1214 - 1270), who was canonized in 1297 and is distinguished by his elegant attire and royal crown. In addition, the proud Saint George (275/285 - 303) in his shining armour, recognizable by his crusader shield.