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During the late decades of the 15th century Andrea della Robbia continued his uncle's (Luca della Robbia) business in glazed terracotta sculpture. He shared the same furnace up to Luca's death in 1482 but was working autonomously by 1455.
The influence of painting can be seen in his characteristically puffy clouds, raised in relief. Andrea's sky appears in his first dated work, the Madonna of the Stonemasons, commissioned by the Guild to replace an earlier work. The relief was executed in three pieces and the frame in nine. The recessed border of seraph heads situates the figures in heaven, while the white roses of the floreated frame symbolize the Madonna's purity and contribute to the work's decorative nature. The four medallions inscribe emblems of the guild.
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