Virgin and Child with Cherubim
Frederick Pepys Cockerell (1833-1878), London, by 1888; by descent to his widow, Mrs. Frederick Pepys Cockerell (née Mary Mulock; 1838-1931), London, until 1902; Duveen Brothers, London, 1902 (as Donatello); from whom purchased by Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), New York, on June 12, 1902 (as Donatello, but exhibited as Rossellino by 1913); bequeathed to the Library by J.P. Morgan, Jr. (1867-1943), New York.
This exceptionally fine relief was executed by Antonio Rossellino, one of the most talented sculptors active in Florence in the 1460s and '70s. For this depiction of the Virgin and Child, he employed a technique known as flattened relief. The composition suggests that he looked at paintings as well as three-dimensional sculpture in creating a play of light and shadow in the low carved surface of the marble. Damage along the perimeter of the stone suggests it was removed from a tabernacle before being framed. The relief enjoyed tremendous popularity since its creation, and gave rise to many plaster casts and replicas, including some made centuries later, while it was in an English collection during the 19th century, before Morgan acquired it in 1913.