At the front entrance of Guzman Hall one can find a ceramic replica of a “Della Robbia” plaque. The original altarpiece is located in the church of St. James at Galligano, Italy. Now there are distinct characteristics that tell us it was made not only during the Renaissance period but also was made by Andrea. First that comes to mind is the composition of the piece. It is very graceful and naturalistic. The flowers coming out the vases are made in a floral design framing the piece. The cherubim’s heads create a frieze which was a technique that was developed by Andrea. The background is colored a sky blue to not only give the piece an atmosphere but also separate the figures from the background.  

       Now let’s start to discuss the characters in the piece. The main figure in the middle is Mary and the infant Jesus. We can tell by the crown the angels hold above Mary’s head. To the left to Mary is St. James the Minor. He is depicted with a fuller’s club, the weapon that was used to beat him to death. To the right of him is St. John, or the cousin of Jesus, recognizable by his “youthfulness” charm. To the left of Mary is St. Joseph, Jesus' human father, shown with his flowering staff. Next to St. Joseph is St. Catherine of Alexandria with a wheel, the tool of her martyrdom. At the top we see God the father, with his right hand raised in blessing and his left hand holding a book. He is flanked by two angels. At the bottom of the piece is Jesus fully grown up and matured.  Beside him is Mary and St. John mourning in joy that he has risen from the tomb. Overall this piece is an important part of the Dominican campus and holds a lot of interesting iconography.