Giovanni della Robbia (Italian, Florentine, 1469–1529/30). Resurrection of Christ, ca. 1520–1525. Glazed terracotta, 68 3/4 x 143 1/2 x 13 in. (174.6 x 364.5 x 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of A. Augustus Healy, 99.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 99.5_PS11.jpg)
Giovanni della Robbia (Italian, Florentine, 1469–1529/30). Resurrection of Christ, ca. 1520–1525. Glazed terracotta, 68 3/4 x 143 1/2 x 13 in. (174.6 x 364.5 x 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of A. Augustus Healy, 99.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 99.5_detail1_PS11.jpg)
Giovanni della Robbia (Italian, Florentine, 1469–1529/30). Resurrection of Christ, ca. 1520–1525. Glazed terracotta, 68 3/4 x 143 1/2 x 13 in. (174.6 x 364.5 x 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of A. Augustus Healy, 99.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 99.5_detail2_PS11.jpg)
Resurrection of Christ
Giovanni della Robbia
European Art
On View: Elevator Lobby, 3rd Floor
About this Brooklyn Icon
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
The Resurrection of Christ was one of the Museum’s first major European art acquisitions and the first Italian Renaissance work to enter the collection. The della Robbia family workshop was known throughout Italy for colorfully glazed terra-cotta sculptures and this one, comprising 46 pieces, is a superlative example. Dense and complex, it depicts the resurrection of Jesus and the shocked Roman soldiers who were guarding his tomb, all surrounded by a lush garland of fruits, flowers, and animals symbolizing rebirth and renewal.
The monumental sculpture was commissioned around 1520 to 1525 by the Antinori family, probably for their chapel in Florence. Niccolò di Tomasso Antinori is shown next to Jesus. Those yellow-and-blue circles are the family’s coat of arms.
Objects’ journeys to museums can have many steps, and some remain obscure. But the Resurrection’s ownership history, or provenance, is extraordinarily straightforward. From the della Robbia workshop the sculpture went to the Antinori chapel and then to their country estate outside Florence, where it remained until the family sold it to the Brooklyn Museum’s Board President in 1898. It is now one of the Museum’s most significant artworks and, after a careful restoration, boasts the same vivid color and detail as it did 500 years ago.
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
The Resurrection of Christ was one of the Museum’s first major European art acquisitions and the first Italian Renaissance work to enter the collection. The della Robbia family workshop was known throughout Italy for colorfully glazed terra-cotta sculptures and this one, comprising 46 pieces, is a superlative example. Dense and complex, it depicts the resurrection of Jesus and the shocked Roman soldiers who were guarding his tomb, all surrounded by a lush garland of fruits, flowers, and animals symbolizing rebirth and renewal.
The monumental sculpture was commissioned around 1520 to 1525 by the Antinori family, probably for their chapel in Florence. Niccolò di Tomasso Antinori is shown next to Jesus. Those yellow-and-blue circles are the family’s coat of arms.
Objects’ journeys to museums can have many steps, and some remain obscure. But the Resurrection’s ownership history, or provenance, is extraordinarily straightforward. From the della Robbia workshop the sculpture went to the Antinori chapel and then to their country estate outside Florence, where it remained until the family sold it to the Brooklyn Museum’s Board President in 1898. It is now one of the Museum’s most significant artworks and, after a careful restoration, boasts the same vivid color and detail as it did 500 years ago.
MEDIUM
Glazed terracotta
DATES
ca. 1520–1525
DIMENSIONS
68 3/4 x 143 1/2 x 13 in. (174.6 x 364.5 x 33 cm)
(show scale)
COLLECTIONS
European Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
99.5
CREDIT LINE
Gift of A. Augustus Healy
PROVENANCE
Ca. 1520-25, commissioned from the artist by the Antinori family of Florence, Italy; 1898, purchased in Florence from the Antinori family by A. Augustus Healy; October 14, 1898, gift of A. Augustus Healy to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Elevator Lobby, 3rd Floor
CAPTION
Giovanni della Robbia (Italian, Florentine, 1469–1529/30). Resurrection of Christ, ca. 1520–1525. Glazed terracotta, 68 3/4 x 143 1/2 x 13 in. (174.6 x 364.5 x 33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of A. Augustus Healy, 99.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 99.5_PS11.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 99.5_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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