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Della Robbia Yellow |
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Della Robbia Aubergine |
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Della Robbia Red |
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Della Robbia Blue |
Della Robbia colours
Derived from the colours used in the Italian Majolica bas reliefs of Luca Della Robbia, a Florentine, whose famous gates of the Sacristy of the Catherdral were said by Michaelangelo to be worthy of being the Gates of Heaven. Della Robbia was the founder of a family who were artists in marble, bronze and terra cotta. His nephew Andrea was best known for his work in coloured terra cotta medallions.
Although mostly found in the churches of Italy, some of the best examples are in our National Gallery at South Kensington where their distinctive colours (derived from the metallic oxide of tin which they used) may be studied. One thing notable in their work is the clarity in their colours.
They excelled in the religious conception of Saints, Madonnas and Bambini, also in their modellings of flowers, fruit and other decorative details.
The old Chateau de Madrid in the Bois de Boulogne was enriched by the work of their hands, and one of the Della Robbias spent some 40 years in France at the instance of Francis I.
What DOT did with historical colour on the designerpaint web site