Singing Gallery by After Luca Della Robbia (Italian 1400 – 1482), Marble, 100cm high, 96cm wide
The marble relief depicts seven youthful choir singers in classical attire standing in a circle, holding hands, and singing. Some of the figures are carved in the round while others are in high relief. It is raised on a purpose-made black metal stand with four legs, supporting the panel which measures 100cm high x 96cm wide. When placed on the stand, it measures 123cm high.
This relief is a reproduction of the original panel from Luca Della Robbia’s earliest documented work, the Cantoria or singing gallery of Florence cathedral. In 1431, Della Robbia was commissioned to create ten carved marble panels to adorn the singing gallery or organ loft of Florence cathedral. These panels were placed in an architectural setting, with the upper part containing four panels resembling a Roman sarcophagus, and additional panels at each end with four further reliefs in the console below. Originally located above the door of the North Sacristy, the panels were dismantled in 1688 and are now housed in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo of Florence Cathedral.
