The Virgin and Child with Four Angels is a bronze roundel by Florentine artist Donatello

Donatello

Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi , also known as Donatello, was an early Renaissance Italian artist and sculptor from Florence...

 (c. 1386 - 1466).

It is also known as the Chellini Madonna as Donatello gave it to his doctor Giovanni Chellini in 1456. This was documented in the physician's account book on 27 August, 1456 "while I was treating Donato called Donatello, the singular and principal master in making figures of bronze of wood and terracotta . . . he of his kindness and in consideration of the medical treatment which I had given and was giving for his illness gave me a roundel the size of a trencher in which was sculpted the Virgin Mary with the Child at her neck and two angels on each side". The reverse of the roundel is hollowed out, creating a mould for casting replica

Replica

A replica is a copy closely resembling the original concerning its shape and appearance. An inverted replica complements the original by filling its gaps. It can be a copy used for historical purposes, such as being placed in a museum. Sometimes the original never existed. For example, Difference...

s of the image in molten glass. In order to test out this unique feature, copies of the roundel were made from which glass versions were cast.