Giovanni della Robbia, (born May 19, 1469, Florence [Italy] –
died 1529), Florentine sculptor, son of Andrea della Robbia and grandnephew
of Luca della Robbia who, upon the death of his father in 1525, assumed
control of the family workshop.
Giovanni's early works, of which the most remarkable are a lavabo in the
sacristy of Santa Maria Novella, Florence (1497), and medallions in the
Loggia di San Paolo (1490–95), were executed in collaboration with
or under the strong influence of his father. His most ambitious work is
a frieze with representations of the works of mercy on the Ospedale del
Ceppo at Pistoia (1525–29), in which he was assisted by his pupils
Benedetto Buglioni (1461–1521) and Santi Buglioni (1494–1576).
Giovanni's younger brother, Girolamo (1488–1566), was trained in
Andrea's studio and collaborated with his father and brother until he
moved to France (c. 1527–28), where he was employed on the terra-cotta
decoration of the demolished Château de Madrid. After the death of
Francis I (1547), Girolamo returned to Florence, but some years later
(1559) he resumed his work at the Château de Madrid and at Fontainebleau
and was employed on the monuments of Francis II and Catherine de Médicis
From October of 1916 through January of 1917, Rudolf Steiner gave a series
of nine lectures known as the Art Course. These lectures were given
the title of:
The History of Art.
Click here to discover what Steiner said about Giovanni della Robbia in the
or in the entire