ABSTRACT
Through meticulously researched case studies, this book explores the materiality of terracotta sculpture in early modern Europe.
Chapters present a broad geographical perspective showcasing examples of modelling, firing, painting, and gilding of clay in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. The volume considers known artworks by celebrated artists, such as Luca della Robbia, Andrea del Verrocchio, Filipe Hodart, or Hans Reichle, in parallel with several lesser-studied terracotta sculptures and tin-glazed earthenware made by anonymous artisans. This book challenges arbitrary distinctions into the fine art and the applied arts, that obscured the image of artistic production in the early modern world. The centrality of clay in the creative processes of artists working with two- and three-dimensional artefacts comes to the fore. The role of terracotta figures in religious practices, as well as processes of material substitutions or mimesis, confirm the medium’s significance for European visual and material culture in general.
This book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, Renaissance studies, and material culture.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|54 pages
Material Migrations
chapter 2|16 pages
Making a Virtue Out of a Necessity
part II|70 pages
Terracotta and Design
chapter 7|14 pages
The Primacy of Terracotta
part III|66 pages
Mimetic Ventures
chapter 1388|12 pages
Glazed Ornament between Architecture and Altarpieces
chapter 9|19 pages
The Transformation of Della Robbia Garland Frames
chapter 10|17 pages
Face, Surface, Interface
part IV|67 pages
Contexts and Values