ROBBIA, Luca di Andrea della
(b. 1475, Firenze, d. 1548, Firenze)

Emblem of Leo X

c. 1520
Glazed terracotta, diameter 120 cm
Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome

The terracotta panel is part of a series of "devices" of Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici (1475-1528), son of Lorenzo the magnificent, who became Pope in 1513 with the name of Leo X. The papal name is referred to by the grand lion's head, framed by the Medici symbol of a large ring with a diamond, the family device adopted by the Medici since the time of Cosimo the Elder.

Luca di Andrea della Robbia (called Luca della Robbia the Younger) was one of the five sons of Andrea della Robbia. He was largely an imitator of his father.