POLLAIOLO, Piero (Piero Benci)

Biography






Pollaiuolo, surname of two Italian artists of the Renaissance, who, as brothers, shared a busy workshop in Florence. Patronized by the Medici family, the firm produced articles of gold, bronze sculpture, paintings, and decorative work.

Antonio Pollaiuolo (1431?-1498) A painter, sculptor, goldsmith, and engraver, his real name was Antonio di Jacopo d'Antonio Benci. His imposing silver relief The Beheading of St. John the Baptist and the sumptuous embroideries woven after his design still survive in the museum of the cathedral of Florence. Among his better-known works are the bronze tomb (1484-1493) of Pope Sixtus IV and the monument (1493-1497) to Innocent VIII, both in Saint Peter's, Rome. Others include the bronze Hercules and Antaeus (1475?, The Bargello, Florence) and his famous Battle of the Nudes (1470?, Uffizi, Florence), the first important Italian engraving. His altarpiece, the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian (1475, National Gallery, London), represents a major achievement in the depiction of the figure in three-dimensional space.

Piero Pollaiuolo (1443-1496) A painter, Piero did three of the paintings known as the Seven Virtues (1469-1470, Uffizi, Florence), and probably collaborated with Antonio on three others.

"Pollaiuolo," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation.

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