AFTER LUCA DELLA ROBBIA (ITALIAN, 1400-1482): A LARGE MARBLE RELIEF OF THE CANTORIA 'SINGING GALLERY' depicting seven youthful, classically attired choir sings holding hands in a circle and singing, some of the figures carved in the round others in high relief, raised on a purpose-made black metal stand with four legs which supports the panel, the panel 100cm high x 96cm wide, when on the stand 123cm high The present relief is after the original panel from Della Robbia's earliest documented work, the Cantoria or singing gallery of Florence cathedral. In 1431 Della Robbia was commissioned to produce ten carved marble panels to fit around the singing gallery or organ loft of Florence cathedral. These were mounted in an architectural setting, with the upper part enclosing four panels and resembling a Roman sarcophagus, with a further panel on each end and four further reliefs in the console below. Originally situated above the door of the North Sacristy, the panels were dismantled in 1688 and are now in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo of Florence Cathedral. Related Literature: Italian Renaissance Sculpture, J.M. Olsen, Thames and Hudson, London 1992, p75.