This bust perhaps represents the young St John the Baptist, and may once have had a pendant figure of the youthful Christ. The della Robbia family were renowned for their work in glazed terracotta, and their sculptures of children were especially admired in Victorian England.

Plaster casts were especially sought after during the 19th century, when reproductions of great works of sculpture and architecture were thought crucial for the training of artists. A separating substance was applied to the surface of the work to be reproduced, and a plaster mould made from that. The mould would then be used to make any number of additional plaster copies. These were often sold to artists, and later in the century to art colleges for study purposes.

Gallery location:
Cast Courts, Room 46b, The Weston Cast Court , case FS, shelf N

Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London