Sculptures of the Foundling hospital in Florence

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The little boy is one of the most remarkable works by Andrea della Robbia, a series of medallions with reliefs of the Infant Jesus in white on a blue ground set on the front of the foundling hospital in Florence. Each child-figure is modelled with skill and variety, no two being alike. Who is depicted? We can see a little boy, but we do not know who he is. However, it can be deduced that this little boy has been cured in the hospital. Technical/Specification about the statue: Relief sculpture is a technique where sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term relief comes from the Latin verb relevo, which means to raise. To create a sculpture in relief gives the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane. The technique involves considerable chiselling away of the background, a time-consuming exercise. However, a relief saves forming the rear of a subject and is less fragile than a sculpture in the round, especially one of a standing figure where the ankles are a potential weak point. There are different degrees of relief depending on the degree of projection of the sculpted form from the field. The full range includes high relief, mid-relief, low-relief, and shallow-relief or rilievo schiacciato. Sunk relief is mainly restricted to Ancient Egypt. More about the artist: Andrea della Robbia was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, especially in ceramics. He carried on the production of enamelled reliefs on a much larger scale than his uncle had ever done; he also extended its application to various architectural uses such as friezes and lavabos. Andrea della Robbia introduced a new method in his enamelled work, omitting enamel on the face and hands of his figures, especially in those cases where he had treated the heads in a realistic manner.