Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John

Master F. D. is the name assigned to an unknown artist who created a number of works in the same style signed with the initials F. D. He may have been a German working in Italy. Both styles can be seen here: the clumsy drapery folds and rather coarse faces reflect German or Northern European realism, while the Virgin's pose and relatively monumental scale reflect the Italian interest in classical sculpture. Carved from rhinoceros horn, a rare and difficult material to work, the plaquette has been deliberately darkened to resemble bronze.