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Bas-relief Virgin and Child in terra cotta of the school of Ghiberti

Louise Laffon

1864

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Religious

Dominant colour

Bas-relief Virgin and Child in terra cotta of the school of Ghiberti is a 1864 photographic by Louise Laffon, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Louise Laffon
When & what style?: 1864 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

Louise Laffon made this photograph in 1863–64. It’s a black-and-white image of a terra-cotta bas-relief Virgin and Child. The sculpture looks like it’s from Ghiberti’s school, but Laffon froze that old style in a new medium. The Victoria and Albert Museum has collected photos since 1852. They were the first museum to both buy and show photographs. Henry Cole, their first director, wanted artists and students to use photos as visual training. Check out Louise Laffon’s other work.

The story of this work

Overview

A sepia-toned photograph mounted for display depicts a bas-relief Virgin and Child executed in terra cotta, attributed to the school of Ghiberti. The image forms part of a series of one hundred albumen prints produced by Louise Laffon in 1864, documenting sculptures from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III in Paris. The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired five hundred prints from this series through the Parisian agent Monsieur E. Cappe later that year. The photograph’s original gilded mount bears the gender-neutral mark “L. Laffon” alongside the studio name “Photographie Lord…

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Louise Laffon

Louise Laffon (1828–1885), was a French photographer and painter. She was one of the first female professional photographers in France. She had a studio in Paris between 1859 and 1876.

See the richer artist page