38 Inches High x 48 Inches Wide x 6 Inches Deep
Two years after Luca della Robbia started his commission, Donatello was commissioned to create another cantoria to complement della Robbia’s in Florence Cathedral. Each Cantoria, or Singing Gallery, eventually served as a home for the choir singers during services. Donatello’s Cantoria originally hung above the door to the South Sacristy and della Robbia’s above the door to the North Sacristy, but both were dismantled in 1688 and later moved to the Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo. (For Donatello’s other Cantoria reliefs, see Items #47, 48, and 50. For della Robbia’s Cantoria reliefs, see Items #185, 186, 187, and 221.)
Artist: Donatello
Museum: Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo, Florence
Origin: Florence Cathedral (also known as Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, and Il Duomo di Firenze), Florence
Time Period: Renaissance, 1433-1438
1911 Catalog ID # – 8364
Sources:
“The Cantoria (singers’ gallery).” Web Gallery of Art, http:///Press-Release/high-museum-of-art-brings-luca-della-robbias-marble-cantoria-panels-to-the-u-s-for-the-first-time/.