Tomb of Bishop Benozzo Federighi

Benozzo Federighi, Bishop of Fiesole, died in 1450. His tomb was originally in the church of San Pancrazio in Florence; it was moved to its present site in the church of Santa Trinita in 1896. Set in a glazed terracotta frame with vegetal ornaments, the tomb is regarded as Luca della Robbia’s last sculptural work in marble. On the front of the sarcophagus, two angels are holding a laurel wreath framing a funerary inscription in Latin. The use of this motif suggests the artist had been directly influenced by Lorenzo Ghiberti and inspired by the art of classical antiquity. In three fields behind the recumbent figure of the deceased, we see the dead Christ flanked by the Virgin and Saint John the Apostle.