Portrait of a young girl (Andrea della Robbia) - majolica copy

Portrait of Young Girl, by Andrea della Robbia (1435-1525), Polychrome glazed earthenware, 1465-1470
This unusual bust of a woman was originally attributed to Andrea della Robbia, Luca's nephew. Now it is given to Luca on the basis of its sensitive modelling. The figure is like contemporary female portraits painted in profile and sculpted in the round. She is dressed in the latest fashion, with a high, shaved, aristocratic forehead and wispy hair cascading from a bejewelled head-dress. The nature of the work is still debated: it is either a portrait or a representation of the ideal feminine beauty of the age.