This charming statuette of Pomona, or Dovizia, as it has been suggested,
is the work of Giovanni della Robbia, a Florentine sculptor, the son of
Andrea della Robbia who was the nephew of Luca della Robbia. The work of
the della Robbia family in glazed terracotta is familiar to all lovers of
Italian art. Giovanni was the pupil of his father. His early works, such
as this Pomona, show him at his best; in his later productions he lacks
refinement and indulges in polychromy with too liberality. When
discreetly used, as in this statuette, color enriches the plastic quality
of the work. The goddess wears a blue gown with decorations in golden
yellow; the fruit is represented naturalistically in yellow green and
violet; and the flesh parts are glazed in white. On her head the Goddess
carries a basket filled with fruit, and in her left hand a brimming
cornucopia. A little boy, with charming naturalness, turns to her for
protection as if afraid of the dog barking at him.
[Candlestick, Wood, Carved and Gilded. Florentine, XVI Century]