Technical changes in the glaze composition of tin-glazed sculptures by Benedetto Buglioni c. 1490–1510

Abstract

During the 15th and into the mid-16th centuries, tin-glazed terracotta sculptures were celebrated for their luminous colours, perceived durability, and technical ingenuity of the novel medium. Although in high demand, the supply of these pieces was restricted because of the secrecy of the recipes used by the pioneers of the technique on the Italian peninsula, namely the Della Robbia family. As the Della Robbia workshop procedures did not come down to us in a written form, art historical scholarship has focused on retrieving the original recipes through scientific analyses of surviving pieces. Building on those investigations, this article addresses the technique of another master of tin-glazed terracotta sculpture, namely Benedetto Buglioni (1459/1460–1521). Buglioni likely experienced the Della Robbia production first hand as he trained in Andrea della Robbia's (1435–1525) workshop. He began his independent sculptural activity in the 1480s. For the present study, two of his figures, now in Polish collections, dated to the most prolific period of his artistic career, have been examined using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). The interpretation of the results is informed by previous examinations of the Della Robbia glazes, as well as by contemporary written sources, including an early 16th-century recipe book from Montelupo, Tuscany. The present study reconsiders the understanding of the Buglioni glazes as merely derivative and inferior to the surfaces of the Della Robbia sculptures. The physical examination of Benedetto Buglioni's works reveals a high degree of experimentation in his approach to the medium of tin-glazed terracotta.