ROBBERY, is the wrongful taking, without a claim of right, of a thing of value from one's Person against his will, or by force, or through placing him in fear. In the United States the offense is regulated by the statutes of the vari ous jurisdictions, in some of which the degree of guilt depends on the nature of the act. Actual force need not be employed to induce fear, and fear may extend to a threatened destruction of one's property or injury to reputation. The law does not hold that the property must be in the actual physical possession of one, or in contact with his person, but merely that it must be in his presence, or in his immediate control; the property need not belong to the person from whom it is taken. Two or more persons may be equally liable for robbery if participating in any of the acts by which it is carried out. Pun ishment for robbery is fixed by statute.
ROBBIA, Luca della, Italian sculptor: b. Florence, 1400; d. 1482. In the Early Renaissance he appeared as the foremost artist of all his contemporaries, and created a new school of sculpture by his marble friezes for the organ-loft of the Duomo at Florence. These are still to he seen in the Bargello Palace of the same city. The work was completed in 1445 and represents in 10 panels, angels and boys singing and playing on Various instruments, to the rhythmic movement of the dance. For re fined and chastened fancy, skilful grouping and animated expression this masterpiece showed a vast advance on the hieratic sculptures of me direvalism. The enthusiasm with which it was greeted was redoubled, when in conjunction with Michelozzo and Maso di Bartolommeo, he exe cuted the •bronze doors for the Old Sacristy of the Duomo (1446-64). His name is, however,
especially associated with works in clay reduced to pottery in the kiln, and colored and glazed like faience. This faience sculpture was un known before his tithe and in it he improved the common process of glazing by a new method all his own. Numberless were the reliefs, me dallion; tympanum groups altars and other decorations which he and his pupils produced in this style. He began by plain white reliefs on a flat blue ground; the flawless beauty olhis profiles in many sculptures of this kind have been the inspiration of succeeding artists. But he gradually enriched the coloring by the addi tion of other tints, some critics think, with a loss to classic purity and simplicity yet the harmonious composition of his designs, the charm of expression which appears in every thing he did, added to the boldness with which he ventured into a new field of plastic art have won for him a sort of unique glory among the artists of the Renaissance. His works and those of his pupils are met with in every part of Tus cany, and some examples may also be seen in the museums of Europe. Among his most emi nent pupils were his nephew, Andrea della Robbia (1437-1528) - and the sons of this latter, Giovanni (1469-1529) and Girolamo 1566). Consult Barbet de Jouy, 'Les Della Robbia' (1855) ; Cavalucci et Mohnier, (Les Della Robbia' (1884) ; Leander Scott, Della Robbia' (18133).