ITALIAN SCULPTURE IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
There was no one great influence or circumstance which led up to the
revival of art and letters which took place in the fifteenth century,
and which is known under the general name of the Renaissance. Its causes
were many, and may be traced in every department of the life of the
Middle Ages--in religion, politics, learning, and the habits of the
people. This is far too great a topic for us to enter on here, and we
must keep to the one matter which we have in hand.
In Italy, heretofore, as we have shown, sculpture had been almost
entirely separated from other arts, and stood by itself. Its works had
been the smaller objects of which we have spoken; and though these were
oftentimes splendid in their design and execution, they did not afford
the sculptor the same broad field for his work as he has when his
productions are combined with architecture. Now all this was changed.
The French and German artists had brought out a style of architecture of
their own, the Italians pursued another course, and went back to classic
art for their teaching, and now every opportunity was given for
sculpture to assume its utmost importance; and the art of ancient Greece
was studied with all the enthusiasm of the Italian nature.
The masters of Florence, or, rather, of Tuscany, were of great
importance in the beginning of the new movement, and I shall speak
first of them. FRANCESCO SQUARCIONE, who lived from 1396 to 1474, was a
painter, and travelled into Greece to collect antique objects, and made
many drawings from the monuments which he saw. He established a school
in Padua, and his museum was of advantage to sculptors as well as to
painters. Other Tuscan artists who were in love with classic art
wandered among its remains in Rome and other parts of Italy, and brought
back to their homes a greater knowledge of sculpture, as well as the
drawings which they had made; and in this part of Italy the Renaissance
early made itself a living, active power.
Among the very first of these sculptors was JACOPO DELLA QUERCIA
(1374-1438), who was so called from the little market town of Quercia,
near Siena, in which he was born. His father was a goldsmith, and
instructed his son in his art; but the boy loved sculpture, and studied
it under one Luca di Giovanni. When but nineteen years old he made an
equestrian statue of wood, and covered it with cloth, and painted it to
represent marble in a manner which proved him to be an artist. About
this time he left his home, and the next that we know of him was about
ten years later, when his design for the gates of the Baptistery of
Florence was pronounced to be next in merit to those of Ghiberti and
Brunelleschi.
In 1408 Quercia went to Ferrara, where he did several works. While there
he was called by the Signory of Siena to make a new fountain in the
Piazza del Campo. This was a beautiful work, and even in this century,
though much injured, its remaining sculptures prove that it must have
been a wonder in its day. It has been restored after the original model
by Quercia, who was often called Jacopo della Fonte on account of this
work. He executed some sculptures in Lucca, but his masterpiece was the
decoration of the great portal of the Basilica of San Petronio, at
Bologna. (Fig. 82.)
The fifteen reliefs here represent the history of Adam and Eve, and
other stories from the creation to the deluge. They show the full
freedom and power of Quercia's style, and are among the most attractive
of all the Tuscan sculptures of this period. Duringd the last years of
his life this artist was employed as superintendent of the works upon
the Cathedral of Siena, in which city he died.
[Illustration: FIG. 82.--RELIEF BY JACOPO DELLA QUERCIA. _Bologna._]
We come now to speak of the famous LORENZO GHIBERTI (1378-1455), who was
born in Florence, and was both a goldsmith and sculptor; and though his
fame rests upon his bas-reliefs, yet the exquisite detail and careful
finish in them came from his practice of the goldsmith's art. In 1398 a
plague broke out in Florence, and Ghiberti fled to Rimini for safety.
While there he painted a few pictures; but his name is so linked with
the splendid gates which he made for the Baptistery of Florence that it
is of those that one naturally thinks when his name is heard.
We have spoken of the gates which Andrea Pisano had made to this
Baptistery long before; these were for the south side; and when, in
1400, the plague again visited Florence the people believed that the
wrath of Heaven should be appeased by a thank-offering. Accordingly the
Guild of Wool-merchants promised to add gates on the north and east of
the Baptistery of St. John the Baptist.
A time was appointed for the examination of designs, and many artists
entered into the competition, and sent in their drawings and models. A
great number of these represented the Sacrifice of Isaac. At length all
the models were set aside but two, and these were made by Brunelleschi
and Ghiberti; then the former declared that he thought his rival's
design the best, thus showing a nobility of character which cannot be
too much praised.
The commission was thus given to Ghiberti, who first executed the
northern gates. He began them in 1403, and finished them twenty-one
years later. They illustrate the life of Christ in twenty scenes; they
have also the figures of the evangelists and the four Fathers of the
Church in a beautiful framework of foliage, animals, and other
ornamental figures, which divides and incloses the larger compositions.
These gates are done in a manner much in advance of that of Pisano, and
yet they retain some features of an earlier style which are not found in
Ghiberti's later works. But from the first he showed original talent, as
one may see by his model of the Sacrifice of Isaac, which is preserved
in the Museum of the Bargello, beside that of Brunelleschi.
These northern gates are very beautiful, but those on the east are far
more so; it is of these last that Michael Angelo declared, "They are
worthy to be the gates of Paradise!" These are divided into ten
compartments, representing: 1, Creation of Adam and Eve; 2, History of
Cain and Abel; 3, Noah; 4, Abraham and Isaac; 5, Jacob and Esau; 6,
History of Joseph; 7, Moses on Mount Sinai; 8, Joshua before Jericho; 9,
David and Goliath; 10, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Fig. 83).
This sculptor showed great skill for one in his age, but to us there is
some disappointment in them on account of the crowded appearance of the
figures. Familiarity with them, however, reveals their beauty, and we
find that, in truth, the stories Ghiberti wished to tell are brought out
with much distinctness. They will ever remain one of the great monuments
of the sculpture of the Renaissance.
Ghiberti endeavored to introduce fine backgrounds to his reliefs, which
gave him an opportunity to add figures illustrating other incidents than
the principal one of the work. His sculptures show the influence of the
Gothic style, the study of nature and that of the antique all combined;
with these are united his own power of conception, his ability in
design, and his wonderful delicacy of execution. These gates have been
continually studied by the artists of his own and succeeding
generations.
The next work of importance by Ghiberti is the sarcophagus of St.
Zenobius in the Cathedral of Florence. Other lesser sculptures are in
other churches in Florence and in the Cathedral of Siena.
We come now to one of the most interesting sculptors of the fifteenth
century. DONATELLO he was called, but his real name was DONATO DI BETTO
BARDI (1386-1468). He was born in Florence, and from his boyhood was a
member of the family of the rich banker Ruberto Martelli, who was the
firm friend of the sculptor for life, and when he died he provided in
his will that the works by Donatello which he bequeathed to his family
should never be pledged, sold, or given away, but kept as a perpetual
inheritance for his heirs. Donatello was a realist, and followed nature
with great exactness. This was not always productive of beauty in his
works; indeed, some of them are very ugly, and a story which illustrates
this is told of himself and Brunelleschi. Donatello had made a crucifix,
carved from wood, for the Church of Santa Croce, and when it was
finished he asked Brunelleschi's opinion of it. This latter artist was
principally an architect; but as he had learned the goldsmith's trade,
he executed some sculptures, and a close friendship existed between
himself and Donatello. Relying on their love for each other,
Brunelleschi frankly told Donatello that his crucifix was very ugly, and
his figure of Christ like that of a day-laborer, whereas it should
represent a person of the greatest possible beauty.
[Illustration: FIG. 83.--FROM THE EASTERN GATES. _Showing compartments
6, 8, and 10._]
Donatello was very angry at this, and exclaimed, "It is easier to
criticise than to execute; do you take a piece of wood and make a better
crucifix!" Brunelleschi determined to do this, and when his work was
finished he invited Donatello to sup with him. He placed the crucifix in
a conspicuous place in his house, and then took Donatello with him to
the market to buy their food. He gave the parcels to Donatello, and
asked him to go before to the house, saying that he would soon follow.
When Donatello entered and saw the crucifix he was so delighted at the
sight that he forgot everything else, and dropped the eggs, cheese, and
all on the floor, and stood gazing at the carving as motionless as if he
were a statue himself. When Brunelleschi came he said, "What are we to
do now? You have spoiled all the dinner!"
"I have had dinner enough for to-day," replied Donatello. "You may have
a better appetite. To you, I confess, belongs the power of carving the
figure of Christ; to me that of representing day-laborers."
This famous crucifix by Brunelleschi is now in the Gondi Chapel of the
Church of Santa Maria Novella; that by Donatello is in the chapel of
Saints Ludovico and Bartolommeo in the Church of Santa Croce.
The Annunciation cut from sandstone, which is in Santa Croce, is one of
his earliest works, and is full of grace and nobleness (Fig. 84). He
made some beautiful groups of dancing children, which are now in the
Uffizi Gallery; but he considered his David, which is in the same
gallery, as his masterpiece. He was so proud of it that he swore by it,
saying, "By the faith I have in my Zuccone!" This word means bald-head,
and had come to be used as the usual name for the David.
[Illustration: FIG. 84.--THE ANNUNCIATION. _By Donatello._]
But in spite of his liking for the David, it is generally thought that
his St. George, on the exterior of the Church of Or San Michele, is far
better. The German art-writer Grimm thus speaks of this work: "What a
man is the St. George in the niche of the Church of Or San Michele! He
stands there in complete armor, sturdily, with his legs somewhat
striding apart, resting on both with equal weight, as if he meant to
stand so that no power could move him from his post. Straight before him
he holds up his high shield; both hands touch its edge, partly for the
sake of holding it, partly in order to rest on it; the eyes and brows
are full of expectant boldness.... We approach this St. George, and the
mere artistic interest is transformed suddenly into a more lively
sympathy with the person of the master.... Who is it, we ask, who has
placed such a man there, so ready for battle?" (Fig. 85.)
[Illustration: FIG. 85.--STATUE OF ST. GEORGE. _By Donatello._]
Donatello's impetuosity led him into many rash acts. Among other
instances of this it is related that a rich Genoese merchant gave an
order for a portrait bust of himself in bronze; when it was finished the
great Duke Cosimo de' Medici, who was a friend of Donatello, admired the
work so much that he placed it on his balcony, so that all Florentines
who passed by could see it. When the merchant was given the price of the
bust he objected to it, and it was referred to Duke Cosimo for
settlement. In the conversation the Genoese said that the bust could be
made in a month, and that he was willing to pay the artist a dollar a
day for his time and labor.
When Donatello heard this he exclaimed, "I know how to destroy the
result of the study of years in the twinkling of an eye!" and he threw
the bust into the street below, where it was broken into fragments. Then
the merchant was deeply mortified, and offered the sculptor double the
price he had asked if he would repeat the work; but though Donatello
sadly needed the money he would not do this, and persisted in his
refusal, even when Cosimo de' Medici tried to persuade him to consent.
When Donatello was old Duke Cosimo gave him an allowance which would
support himself and four workmen; but in spite of this Donatello wore
such shabby clothes that Cosimo sent him a red surcoat, a mantle and
hood. These Donatello returned, saying they were far too fine for him.
When the sculptor at length became feeble and bedridden his benefactor
had died, but Piero de' Medici, the son of Cosimo, was careful to keep
him in comfort; and when he died his funeral was attended with much
ceremony. He was buried near Duke Cosimo, in the Church of San Lorenzo.
Several of Donatello's works are in this church, and are a more suitable
monument to his memory than any that could be made by other hands.
The works of Donatello are numerous, both in marble and bronze, and in
both these substances he made statues and reliefs. We cannot speak in
detail of all that he accomplished; but as he lived in an age when every
advance in art was an event in history, we must not forget to say that
he made the first equestrian statue which had been produced since the
time of the Romans. This statue is in Padua, in front of the Church of
San Antonio; it is of colossal size, and represents the Venetian General
Gattamelata; and though it does not satisfy our conception as an
equestrian statue, it is worthy of some praise when we remember all the
circumstances of its origin. It is not probable that Donatello had ever
seen an antique equestrian statue, unless it might have been that of
Marcus Aurelius, which was found in the Forum in 1187; no modern statues
existed as examples for him; he was not familiar with the modelling of
horses, and for every reason it was a bold thing for him to undertake
such a work.
Donatello had more influence upon the art of his time than any other
Tuscan sculptor, with the single exception of Michael Angelo. As a man
he was honest, simple, and upright in all his dealings; as a friend he
was loyal and faithful; as a Christian he was humble and charitable, and
left behind him a name which has been handed down through more than four
centuries with respect and honor.
LUCA DELLA ROBBIA (1400-1481) is another native of Florence, whose name
is widely known. Like many others, he began life as a goldsmith, and in
this way gained a mastery over detail and a finish of style that are
remarkable in all his works. He turned his attention to sculpture early
in life, and was so enthusiastic in his pursuit of this art that he
worked night and day, minding neither cold nor hunger and fatigue; in
the beginning he made numerous wax models, which have perished, and with
all his industry we have no work of his before he was forty-five years
old, except the reliefs of Music, Philosophy, Geometry, Grammar and
Astronomy, Plato and Aristotle, Ptolemy and Euclid, and a man playing a
lute, which are set into the side of the Campanile at Florence, and two
scenes from the life of St. Peter, which are in the Uffizi.
In the same gallery are also the series of reliefs which Luca began when
forty-five years old for the balustrade of an organ in the cathedral.
These reliefs represent boys singing, dancing, and playing on musical
instruments (Fig. 86). The attitudes are so graceful and so varied, and
the expressions on the faces are so many, that there is much to admire
in a subject which in unskilful hands would be very monotonous.
[Illustration: FIG. 86.--DANCING BOYS. _By Luca della Robbia._]
No sculptures since the classic days represent child-life with such
freshness and charming qualities, and these alone would have raised Luca
to a high rank as a sculptor. In the Uffizi one is able to examine these
works closely, and they gain by this nearness to the eye, which enables
one to see the minuteness of his finish. There are various works of his
in bronze and marble still to be seen in the churches of Florence, but
the special art to which he gave his attention was to the perfecting of
enamel upon terra-cotta--on the making of what is known as the Robbia
ware. In this he achieved a great success, and his bas-reliefs are very
beautiful. At first he used but few colors, but later he increased their
number, and was able to produce a combined effect of painting and relief
that is very pleasing.
These works were used for altar-pieces, medallions on exteriors,
fountains, wall decoration, and a great variety of purposes. Twelve
medallions representing the months, which are in the South Kensington
Museum, are said to have been made by Luca to decorate a writing cabinet
for one of the Medici.
Luca worked with his nephew, Andrea, who had four sons; and when Luca
died his secrets belonged to them, and made their fortunes. They were
occupied eleven years in making a frieze to a hospital in Pistoja; it
represented the Seven Acts of Mercy. One of them went to France and
decorated the Chateau of Madrid for Francis I. Pope Leo X. employed
another to pave the Loggie of the Vatican with Robbia tiles, and these
wares, in one form and another, were used in numberless ways, both
useful and decorative.
The Robbia family was followed by other workers in glazed ware, and
during about a century it was a prominent feature in art, and then was
gradually given up.
The most noted pupil of Donatello was ANDREA DEL VEROCCHIO (1432-1488).
He was born at Florence, and was early apprenticed to a goldsmith called
Verocchio, from whom the sculptor took his surname. It is said that this
name came from the fact that the elder Verocchio had remarkable
exactness of sight.
Neither the metal works nor the paintings which Verocchio did remain,
and after about 1466 he devoted himself entirely to sculpture. It is
difficult to associate him with Donatello; his execution is finished
like most sculptors who were also metal-workers; his nude parts are true
to nature, but not graceful or attractive, and his draperies are in
small folds, which give a tumbled, crumpled effect rather than that of
the easy, graceful falling of soft material.
His best works are a David in the Museum of the Bargello, Florence; a
bronze Genius pressing a Dolphin to itself on a fountain in the court of
the Palazzo Vecchio (Fig. 87); an equestrian statue of Colleoni before
the Church of San Giovanni e Paolo, Venice (Fig. 88); and a group of St.
Thomas examining the Wounds of Christ at the Church of Or San Michele,
Florence. This last work is in his best and latest manner; the
expression is powerful, but the drapery is still very faulty.
[Illustration: FIG. 87.--BOY WITH DOLPHIN. _By Verocchio._]
Although this equestrian statue is called by Verocchio's name, he did
not live to see it completed; and though it was without doubt made from
his design, still some credit for its execution is due to Alessandro
Leopardo, who finished it. When Colleoni died he left all his large
fortune to the Republic of Venice on condition that they should erect
an equestrian monument to him in the square of St. Mark. As it was
forbidden by the laws of Venice to place such things in the Piazza of
St. Mark, it was placed in its present position, before the Church of
San Giovanni e Paolo, on the square of the School of St. Mark, and it
was thought that this answered the requirements of the will.
[Illustration: FIG. 88.--STATUE OF COLLEONI. _By Verocchio._]
When Verocchio had gone to Venice and had modelled the horse, he was
told that the Signory intended to have the rider made by another
sculptor. He felt this to be an insult, and broke off the head and legs
of the horse, and left Venice for Florence. The Signory issued a decree
forbidding him to set foot again on Venetian soil under pain of death.
The sculptor replied that he should not take the risk, as he well knew
that the Signory could take off his head, and he could not put it on,
while he could replace his horse's head with a better one. The Venetians
knew that this was true, and repealed their decree, and doubling his
pay, asked him to come to complete his work. Verocchio consented to do
so, but had not been long in Venice when he died. Verocchio is said to
have spent much time in drawing from the antique, and his works prove
him to have been diligent and painstaking; these qualities made him the
sculptor that he was; but we see no traces in his work of the
heaven-born genius which makes the artist great, and so inspires himself
that his works fill all beholders with an enthusiasm in a degree akin to
his own; the works of such artists as Verocchio, who have only the
excellencies which come from patient industry, interest us, but they
cannot move our hearts.
It often happened in Italy that a number of artists belonged to the same
family, as in the case of the Robbias. One such family had the name of
GAMBARELLI, but were known in art as the ROSSELLINI. There were five
sculptors of this name, all brothers. Two of them had great ability,
Bernardo and Antonio. Bernardo was most distinguished as an architect,
and some very celebrated edifices were built from his designs; he also
executed some excellent sculptures, among which are the fine monument of
Lionardo Bruni in the Church of Santa Croce, and that of the Beata
Villana in Santa Maria Novella, Florence. The first is one of the best
monuments in Tuscany. In the Uffizi are a bust of St. John, a charming
work, and a portrait bust of Battista Sforza.
ANTONIO ROSSELLINO (1427-1490), called PROCONSOLO, from the quarter of
Florence in which he was born, was by far the best sculptor of the
family. He is called a pupil of Donatello, but his work very closely
resembles that of Ghiberti. Among his best works are the monument to
Cardinal Portogallo, in the Church of San Miniato, near Florence; that
of Mary of Aragon in Monte Oliveto at Naples; a relief of the Nativity
in the same church, and a relief of the Adoring Madonna in the Uffizi
Gallery. His characteristics were grace, delicacy of treatment,
sweetness of expression, and all these combined with a noble dignity.
Other Tuscan sculptors of this period were DESIDERIO DA SETTIGNANO, MINO
DA FIESOLE (1400-1486), ANDREA FERRUCCI (1465-1526), and BENEDETTO DA
MAJANO (1442-1498), who was eminent as an architect as well as for his
sculpture. His father was a stone-cutter, and two other sons in the
family were artists. Benedetto began life as a worker in wooden mosaics,
or intarsiatore, as it is called. He made two beautiful inlaid chests,
and carried them to Hungary as a gift to King Matthias Corvinus, whose
fame as a patron of art had reached his ears. But the young artist was
doomed to a dreadful disappointment, for when he unpacked his chests in
the presence of the king it was found that the sea-damp had spoiled
them, and the mosaics had fallen apart. Benedetto then determined to
work in more durable materials, and executed some sculptures in marble
and terra-cotta while he remained in Hungary.
After his return to Florence, Benedetto worked as an architect, and the
Strozzi Palace was built after his design. His masterpiece in sculpture
was the monument to Filippo Strozzi, in the Strozzi Chapel in Santa
Maria Novella, and it also merits mention among the best works of the
fifteenth century. A pulpit in Santa Croce, by Benedetto, is also very
fine, and his skill was shown here in his supporting the pulpit against
a column and putting the staircase by which the pulpit is entered inside
the column; thus it was concealed, and the building in no wise weakened,
while the pulpit is far more beautiful than it would be were the
staircase in sight.
Benedetto was summoned to Naples by the Duke of Calabria, who gave him
commissions which occupied him for two years. Few Tuscan sculptors have
produced more pleasing works than Benedetto's; though not profound they
are pleasing and unaffected, and in whatever frame of mind one may be,
they do not disturb, but rather soothe and charm, as they could not do
if they were false in sentiment or executed in an affected manner.
MATTEO CIVITALI DI GIOVANNI (1435-1501) was born in Lucca, but studied
art in Florence. His statue of St. Sebastian in the Cathedral of Lucca
was so much admired by the painter Perugino that he copied it in his
picture of the Entombment.
Civitali's chief work in sculpture was the tomb of Pietro da Noceto in
the same cathedral. In Genoa, in the Chapel of St. John the Baptist, he
executed six statues and five bas-reliefs. A bas-relief of Faith by
Civitali in the Uffizi Gallery is a fine work, full of earnestness and
deep religious feeling.
Civitali was also an accomplished architect, and did much to improve the
style of building in Lucca. The beautiful temple of the Volto Santo in
the cathedral was designed by him.
This sculptor may be said to have had four different styles of work. The
St. Sebastian was in his earliest manner, and is simply realistic; his
second manner was the best; it is pure and dignified in conception,
while deep feeling pervades all; the tomb of Noceto was in this second
style; his third manner was more free and less pure, while the fourth,
as seen in his work at Genoa, is full of extravagant exaggeration.
Next to the sculptors of the Tuscan or Florentine school of this period
were those of Venice in importance and independence of manner. This
school was much influenced by that of Tuscany because of the nearness of
the two cities and the constant communication between them, as well as
by the fact that Tuscan sculptors were more or less employed in Venice.
One of the earliest Venetian sculptors was ANTONIO GIOVANNI BREGNO,
called ANTONIO RIZZO or RICCIO (about 1430-1498?). Although he was born
in Verona, and there had the opportunity to study the Roman ruins which
are the pride of the city, he is yet essentially an artist of Venice,
since he spent most of his life there, and was even at the head of the
workshop for the sculptors who worked upon the palace. One little
episode in the life of this artist was an expedition to Scutari with the
Venetian soldiers, who went to its defence against the Turks. Rizzo
showed himself so brave in action, and was so severely wounded, that
after his return to Venice the Senate gave him a pension which lasted
through twenty years. Rizzo so won the confidence of the Venetians that
he was appointed to important offices with large salaries, and it is sad
to be forced to add that he proved to be a dishonest man, and when his
accounts were examined he fled to Foligno, where he soon died. We will
not speak of him as an architect; as a sculptor he is known by statues
of Adam and Eve in niches opposite the Giant's Staircase in the Ducal
Palace, and by sepulchral monuments in the Church of the Frari. While
his works cannot be highly praised for beauty, they do show the style of
the Renaissance distinctly.
LOMBARDO is the family name of three sculptors of this period in Venice.
They were PIETRO and his two sons, TULLIO and ANTONIO, and the three
together are spoken of as the Lombardi. Pietro, the father, was as much
an architect as a sculptor, and the works of the father and son are so
associated that it is difficult to speak of them separately. We know
that Tullio was the superior artist of the three, but there are no works
of theirs that command a detailed description here. The monument to the
Doge Pietro Mocenigo, in the Church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, the angels
of the font in San Martino, an altar-relief in the altar of San Giovanni
Crisostomo, reliefs on the front of the Scuola di San Marco, and two
reliefs in the Church of San Antonio at Padua, are the principal
sculptures of the Lombardi.
ALESSANDRO LEOPARDO, who flourished about 1490, was the most eminent
bronze-caster of his time, and was distinguished for the happy manner in
which he adapted classic ideas to his needs in his works.
Very little is known of the life of this sculptor, and that little is
not to his credit. He lived in Venice, and had a studio in the Piazza
del Cavallo, and in 1487 committed a forgery, for which he was banished
from the city. But when Verocchio died, leaving the Colleoni statue
unfinished, the Senate desired to have it completed by Leopardo, so they
sent him a safe-conduct for six months, and he returned to Venice. As
there is no account of his again leaving the city, it is supposed that
he was allowed to remain as long as he chose. There has been much
difference of opinion as to which artist--Verocchio or Leopardo--should
be credited with the excellence of the Colleoni statue. The truth, as
near as it can be told, seems to be that Verocchio designed and modelled
it, that Leopardo completed and cast it, and made the lofty pedestal
upon which it stands, and which, taken by itself, is a splendid work. It
is of fine proportions, and has six Corinthian columns, in the capitals
of which there are dolphins, while the frieze is composed of trophies
and marine animals, all of which are symbols of the City on the Sea
which erected the monument.
After the Colleoni statue was unveiled the Senate gave Leopardo an order
for three standard bases of bronze to be placed in the Piazza of St.
Mark's. He also made three splendid candelabra for the Venetian Academy.
Leopardo was also an architect. The time of his death is very
uncertain, but a writer speaks of him in 1541 as "the new glory of our
age, who shines like a star in the Venetian waters."
Although an immense amount of sculpture of this period remains in
various parts of Italy, it is very difficult to trace the story of
separate artists and to give a satisfactory account of those whose works
are worthy of high praise. There is scarcely an Italian city of any size
which has not some splendid remains of this morning of the Renaissance.
In Ancona there are the portal of San Francesco and the front of
Mercanzia, with which the name of Giorgio da Sebenico is associated. At
Rimini the Church of San Francesco, with its wealth of plastic ornament,
cannot be ascribed to any one artist or to any number with surety; it is
in the style of Luca della Robbia and Donatello, but in the execution
does not reach their standard. In Cesena, Padua, and Verona there are
fifteenth-century sculptures, and in the Milanese territory the plastic
art of this period is very interesting.
[Illustration: FIGS. 89, 90.--TERRA-COTTAS FROM THE OSPEDALE GRANDE.
_Milan._]
In Milan, in the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in the Ospedale
Grande, and in the cathedral there is a wealth of sculpture to reward
the student of this art who visits them; and in the Museum of the Breda
there are many interesting works. The terra-cotta decoration of the
Ospedale excels all other works of this sort in upper Italy, and the
immense facade of this edifice is a marvel in its way (Figs. 89, 90).
The differences between this hospital and the wonderful Milan Cathedral
afford a remarkable contrast in works of the same period.
GIOVANNI ANTONIO AMADEO, or OMODEO (1447-1520), was born on a farm near
the Certosa of Pavia. When but nineteen years old his name appears as
one of those who were employed upon this splendid edifice, and the
records of his payments show that his work was well considered, even
then. Omodeo was undoubtedly the best sculptor of his time in all
Lombardy, and his sculptures in the Colleoni Chapel at Bergamo would be
sufficient to make any artist famous. The whole work may be called his,
for he designed the building and the sculptures of the facade, which are
in the richest style of the Renaissance; there are statuettes,
colonettes, busts, medallions, and bas-reliefs, and wherever a flat
surface exists it is divided into diamond-shaped slabs of colored
marbles. The portal is very much ornamented: on each side of the rose
window above this entrance there are busts of Caesar and Augustus in
contrast with numbers of angels' heads not far away. There are
bas-reliefs representing children playing upon musical instruments, and
the whole front of the chapel, with its numerous pilasters and
colonettes, has been compared to a gigantic organ, by Mr. Perkins, in
his "Italian Sculptors".
Of the interior decoration we can only say that it is much in Omodeo's
style, though the monument to Colleoni, the founder of the chapel, is
said to be the work of German sculptors, and to have been done after
Omodeo left Bergamo.
At Pavia, Omodeo succeeded Guiniforte as chief architect of the Certosa,
and designed the facade, which was made by him and his successors. The
bas-relief of the Deposition from the Cross, which is on the front of
the high-altar here, is the work of Omodeo. At Cremona and at Isola
Bella he executed some monuments, but at length, in 1490, he began his
work on the Cathedral of Milan. Here a cupola was commenced after his
model and under his direction; but when it was partly done doubts of its
solidity were expressed, and Omodeo was commanded to leave it and design
the north door to the cathedral. He also constructed the spiral
staircase leading to the roof through an elegant Gothic turret, where
the medallion portrait of Omodeo may be seen. It has since been proved
that the cupola of Omodeo was solid enough, for it has sustained the
spire which was put upon it in 1772; but he was tormented concerning it
in many ways, and died without justification.
Omodeo stands at the head of northern Italian sculptors in his dexterous
use of his chisel; his ease in composition and his skill in the
management of drapery would have made him eminent; but the effect of all
these good qualities was injured by his mannerism, and the fact that his
standard of beauty was not a high one. This may be partly accounted for
by the fact that in Lombardy an artist had no opportunity to study the
remains of classic art, and this one circumstance very largely excuses
the inferiority of the northern sculptors to those of Tuscany, whose
taste had been much improved by close study of ancient plastic art.
There are many sculptors mentioned as having done some part of the work
upon the Milan Cathedral, but very few are known, except by casual
remark. CRISTOFORO SOLARI, called "IL GOBBO, or DEL GOBBO," was one of
the most prominent, and yet we know almost nothing of his history until,
in 1490, he was so disappointed when Omodeo was made architect of the
cathedral instead of himself that he went to Venice, and remained there
during several years.
After a time Solari was appointed ducal sculptor to Ludovico Moro, and
the monument which he erected to Beatrice d'Este was one of his
principal works. When Ludovico lost his power Solari went to Rome, and
remained until he was recalled to Milan to execute sculptures for the
cathedral. He was very independent in his reply, and refused to go
unless his conditions were complied with; one of these conditions was
that he should not be under the direction of any one, but should select
his marbles and his subjects to please himself. The statues he made are
not as fine as we might expect them to be after this beginning; however,
he was at length appointed head architect. Soon after this he was
engaged in making a new model for a cupola, and then suddenly his name
ceases to appear upon the registers.
The Cathedral of Como is another of those vast edifices which afforded
opportunities for artists to make themselves famous. The principal part
of the facade to this cathedral was ornamented by TOMMASO and JACOPO
RODARI. The first was at one time architect of the cathedral, and
together they executed a large portion of the sculptures. Their best
work was in the ornamental parts.
In the southern parts of Italy, both in the states of the Church and in
Naples, there are many works of the fifteenth century which were
executed by artists from Florence and other parts of Italy. Thus there
is nothing new to be said concerning sculpture in Southern Italy during
this period, since the works which are not by foreign artists are in the
same style as theirs; for the native sculptors copied those from Central
and Northern Italy, and no great progress or original manner can be
found in these southern districts.