The Buglioni workshop (attrib. to), “The Pietà between St Francis and St George”, Florence, c. 1520

The Florentine artist Luca Della Robbia (1399/1400-1482) is considered the inventor of the glazed terracotta technique, the secret of which he passed on to his descendants. Its beauty, solidity and relatively low cost appealed to both clergy and lay people, and many such pieces were commissioned. In terms of style and typology, this work – long attributed to Andrea Della Robbia – is now thought to have come from the workshop of the Buglioni family.