Attributed to Donatello; 15th century

Attributed to DONATELLO (Florence, 1386–1466); 15th century.
“Madonna and Child.”
Bronze plaque.
Accompanied by a metal analysis report issued by the CSIC.
It comes with a certificate issued by Mr. Jose María Quesada and a report issued by Mr. Enrique Parra.
Measurements: 57 x 38.5 x 1.5 cm.

In this relief, the Virgin gently tilts her face toward Jesus, whom she holds in her arms and to whom she presses her cheek. The Child, with a rounded physique and hair styled in small curls, turns toward his mother, establishing a silent dialogue that captures the expressive power of the composition. The circular halos, barely visible against the dark background, signify the sacred nature of both figures without disrupting the intimacy of the scene.

One of the most distinctive aspects of the piece is the treatment of the Virgin’s clothing. The veil framing her head, the cloak with its abundant folds, and the tunic—adorned with ornamental bands, incisions, and geometric motifs—reveal a special attention to textures and decorative rhythm. The hallmarks of the richness of the attire and the softness of the faces create an interesting interplay of light and shadow, which contributes to the visual depth of the relief and echoes the artistic sensibility developed in the Florentine milieu during the Early Renaissance.

The composition follows the tradition of devotional imagery pioneered by Donatello and disseminated by the artists in his circle and his followers. The emotional bond between the Virgin and the Child, the closeness of their faces, and the synthesis of naturalism and spirituality are characteristic elements of this repertoire. The work can be placed in dialogue with various small plaques and reliefs associated with the master, in which maternal intimacy becomes the focal point of religious representation.

Among the most significant parallels is the *Virgin and Child Before a Niche* from the Wallace Collection in London (inv. S300), attributed to a follower of Donatello. This plaque reproduces a model considered close to the master and stylistically related to compositions such as the Madonna Pazzi, housed in Berlin, and the Madonna Torrigiani, from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence. The Wallace Collection itself notes that, although Donatello’s direct authorship has been debated, the model likely originated in Florence during the 1430s and reflects the interest of his circle in recessed niches and the intimate depiction of the Virgin and Child. Another significant parallel is housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London: the Virgin and Child Plaquette (inv. 5473-1859), attributed to Donatello. Its importance also lies in the dissemination of these models through molds and reproductions, which made it possible to transfer sculptural compositions to different materials and facilitated their circulation as objects of private devotion.

Equally relevant is the *Virgin and Child* from around 1440 housed at the Cleveland Museum of Art, specifically cataloged as a work from Donatello’s circle. This small bronze relief, with traces of gilding, depicts an emotional connection between the figures and a tilt of the Virgin’s head that provide a useful point of comparison for understanding the persistence of these compositional formulas in the output of workshops associated with the sculptor.

Added to these examples is the Madonna and Child from the school of Donatello housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (inv. 09.161.2), a small bronze plaque probably dating from the second half of the 15th century. The museum also houses another Madonna and Child in polychrome and gilded terracotta (inv. 14.40.680), in which the Virgin presses her cheek against the Child’s head, establishing a particularly interesting iconographic connection with the gesture of tenderness present in this work. Both works illustrate the continuity and adaptation of Donatellian models across different formats and materials.

Donatello (c. 1386–1466) was one of the leading figures in Early Renaissance sculpture. Active primarily in Florence and Padua, he stood out for his ability to endow his figures with an intense physical and emotional presence, as well as for his experimentation with relief, bronze, and freestanding sculpture. Works such as the Pazzi Madonna, the bronze David, and the equestrian monument to Gattamelata exemplify the breadth of his artistic language and his influence on several generations of sculptors.His legacy was not limited to the works he created personally but was carried forward through collaborators, followers, and workshops that adapted his innovations to new formats and devotional needs. In this context, the attribution to Donatello’s circle places the relief within an artistic tradition of great significance, in which the expressiveness of the gestures, the intimacy of the scene, and the attention to modeling contributed to renewing the image of the Virgin and Child during the 15th century.