GIOVANNI DELLA ROBBIA (1469–I 5 29?) was born May 19, 1469. He worked as assistant to his father, Andrea, and in many cases the enamelled sculpture of the two cannot be distinguished. Some of Giovanni's independent works are of great merit, espe cially the earlier ones; during the latter part of his career his re liefs deteriorated in style, owing to the universal decadence of the time. One of his finest works is a retable representing the Last Judgment at Volterra in the church of S. Girolamo, dated 15o1. Quite equal in beauty to anything of his father's is the lavabo in the sacristy of S. Maria Novella at Florence, made in 1497. In the tympanum of the arch is a very lovely white relief of the Madonna between two Adoring Angels. This part is of enamelled clay, but the basin of the foun tain is of white marble. Neither Luca nor Andrea was in the habit of signing his work, but Giovanni often did so, usually add ing the date, probably because other potters had begun to imitate the Robbia ware. Among the very numerous other works of Giovanni are a relief in the wall of a former convent in the Via Nazionale at Florence, and two reliefs in the Bargello dated 1521 and 1522. At Pisa in the Campo Santo is a relief in Giovanni's later and poorer manner dated 152o; it is a Madonna surrounded by angels, with saints below. Giovanni's largest and perhaps finest work is the polychromatic frieze on the outside of the Del Ceppo hospital at Pistoia, for which he received various sums of money between 1525 and 15 2 9 ; the subjects of this frieze are the Seven Works of Mercy. Six of these reliefs are by Giovanni, the sev enth, Giving drink to the Thirsty, was made by Filippo Paladini of Pistoia in 1585. Giovanni's chief pupil was Benedetto Buglioni (1461-1521), and a pupil of his, one Santi Buglioni (b. entered the Robbia workshops in 1521, and assisted in the later works of Giovanni.