Virgin and Child

This ceramic bas relief sculpture is just outside the entrance to the oratory in Margaret Fowler Garden. It was designed by the Wallis-Wiley Studio of Pasadena. The sculpture is done in the style of Della Robbia, a form of sculpture modeled after the works of Italian sculptor Luca Della Robbia, who lived in the 15th century. Della Robbia made works of terracotta – produced by firing clay in a kiln at high temperatures. While Della Robbia’s works were usually glazed in bright colors and the Virgin and Child is plain terracotta, the style of the figures takes after those made by the Renaissance master. A Scripps tradition is that there is always a fresh flower in the Madonna’s hands, placed by a secret individual.