Giovanni della Robbia (Italian, Florentine, 1469-1529/30), The Resurrection of Christ, circa 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
The Brooklyn Museum is proud to announce the reinstallment of its acclaimed relief sculpture The Resurrection of Christ, by Renaissance artist Giovanni della Robbia, on view now in the Museum's 3rd floor Focus Gallery.
The Resurrection was created around 1520 and was commissioned by the Antinori family, historical Tuscan vintners since 1385. Nearly 400 years later, The Resurrection became the first Renaissance work to enter the Museum's collection when it was acquired in 1899.
At nearly 12 feet long, The Resurrection originally adorned a wall of the Antinori family's villa outside Florence, Italy. The monumental work is made up of forty-six pieces, which come together to create a vision of faith and salvation unfolding amid a vibrant cornucopia of naturalistic plants, flowers, and animals. Since the late 1990s, however, the colorful relief has not been on public view.
Now, after an extensive restoration in 2015, The Resurrection is finally going back on display at the Brooklyn Museum. The project was generously funded by the same Antinori family whose ancestors originally commissioned the relief.
The Resurrection also serves as the inaugural installation in the Museum's Focus Gallery. This new series serves to highlight important works in our permanent collection and explore their histories. In this installation, an accompanying video provides insight into the lengthy restoration process The Resurrection underwent.
The Brooklyn Della Robbia is curated by Lisa Small, Senior Curator, European Art.
