Relief: Madonna and Child

Rossellino was one of the leading Italian sculptors of the 15th century, and this is an excellent example of his art. Working in very low relief, he made skilful use of light and shade, moving smoothly from the sharp, higher relief of the foreground to the lower relief of the distance. Thus the sculptor dealt with one of the century's central problems, that of perspective, his virtuoso mastery of the chisel creating a marvellous, melting vision which seems to dissolve in the clouds. Such works, which seemed to break down the barriers between painting and sculpture, were widespread in 15th-century Florence.