Hoogreliëf uit het koor van de Dom van Florence, met jonge zangers en dansers, door Luca della Robbia 1870 - 1894

This photograph by Médéric Mieusement captures Luca della Robbia’s marble relief from the choir of Florence Cathedral. Produced in the 1800s, the photograph allows us to consider the status of Renaissance art in nineteenth-century Europe. The original sculpture was part of a larger decorative program meant to inspire religious devotion in its setting. In contrast, this photograph exists as a portable, reproducible image, made possible by innovations in photographic technology. The photograph also speaks to the rise of art history as a discipline. By the nineteenth century, museums and universities were dedicated to the study of art from previous eras, as photography served to disseminate and catalogue artworks for study. Understanding this image requires an understanding of not just Renaissance art, but also the development of photography and art history. Looking into archives, museum records, and the writings of art historians will deepen our understanding of this work.