Provenance

Spanish Art Gallery

Harris, Lionel
Harris, Tomás

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This colorful sculpture is a relief depicting a woman kneeling with her hands clasped in prayer, turned to the left, facing a small child lying on the ground. The woman wears draped robes and has a halo behind her head, while the child also has a halo but is nude. The ground the child lies on is green, with tall white flowers sprouting from green stems behind them. The sky behind the woman is blue, and two cherubic heads are on either side of her head, each with halos and wings. At the very top of this scene, two arms reach down from above holding a white crown with green and blue gems, appearing to be about to place it on the woman's head. This scene is framed with an elaborate border with green leaves, yellow fruits, brown pinecones, and clusters of dark purple grapes. At the bottom of the border are two more cherubic heads. Below that is a small section with a green wreath around what appears to be a round coat of arms featuring a lion and a large X. The people in the sculpture are all completely white, and there is a gold arched border around the sculpture.
Andrea della Robbia, The Adoration of the Child, after 1477, glazed terracotta, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.1.2

The Adoration of the Child

Andrea della Robbia · after 1477 · glazed terracotta ·  Accession ID  1961.1.2

Carved from cream-white alabaster stone, this free-standing sculpture shows an armored knight sitting atop a horse, which straddles a curled up, snarling dragon in front of a kneeling person. In this photograph, the bodies of the horse and man face our left in profile. The dragon is pinned on its back with its head under the horse’s mouth. There are some losses: the head of the kneeling person is gone, and parts of both of the knight’s arms are missing. The lance the knight holds and the sword at his hip are also fragmented. The knight leans forward with his right arm, farther from us, raised and a shield with a red cross is affixed to the opposite upper arm. His pointed, rounded helmet is lined with chain mail around the chin and neck. Simple bands in gold, red, and black decorate the knight’s armor as well as the saddle and bridle on the horse. The horse looks down at the dragon underfoot, his chin pulled sharply back. The dragon is painted burgundy red, and has a large head with a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth and fangs. Claws tear at the horse’s legs as the knight drives the lance into the dragon’s body. The creature’s black wings are pinned under its body, and its dotted tail curls up between the hind legs. To our left, near the dragon and horse's heads, the kneeling person wears a gold-edged dress under a voluminous robe. One hand holds the black and gold striped band looping around the dragon’s neck, and the other is raised to that person’s chest. The stone under the people and animals is roughly carved, suggesting a rocky ground.
English 14th Century, English 15th Century, Saint George and the Dragon, 1370/1420, painted and gilded alabaster, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1953.2.2

Saint George and the Dragon

English 14th Century, English 15th Century · 1370/1420 · painted and gilded alabaster ·  Accession ID  1953.2.2