Jacopo d'Antonio Sansovino (2 July 1486 – 27 November 1570) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect, best known for his works around the

Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco (; vec, Piasa San Marco), often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as ''la Piazza'' ("the Square"). All other urban spaces in the city (exc ...

in Venice. These are crucial works in the history of Venetian Renaissance architecture.

Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be one of ...

, in the Preface to his ''Quattro Libri'' was of the opinion that Sansovino's Biblioteca Marciana was the best building erected since Antiquity. Giorgio Vasari uniquely printed his ''

Vita Vita or VITA (plural vitae) is Latin for "life", and may refer to: * ''Vita'', the usual start to the title of a biography in Latin, by which (in a known context) the work is often referred to; frequently of a saint, then called hagiography * Vita ...

'' of Sansovino separately.

Biography

He was born in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

and apprenticed with Andrea Sansovino, whose name he subsequently adopted, changing his name from Jacopo Tatti. In

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

he attracted the notice of

Bramante Donato Bramante ( , , ; 1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance st ...

and

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual ...

and made a wax model of the ''

Deposition of Christ The Descent from the Cross ( el, Ἀποκαθήλωσις, ''Apokathelosis''), or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after hi ...

'' for

Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. ...

to use. He returned to Florence in 1511 where he received commissions for

marble sculpture Marble has been the preferred material for stone monumental sculpture since ancient times, with several advantages over its more common geological "parent" limestone, in particular the ability to absorb light a small distance into the surface be ...

s of St. James for the Duomo and a Bacchus, now in the

Bargello The Bargello, also known as the Palazzo del Bargello, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, or Palazzo del Popolo (Palace of the People), was a former barracks and prison, now an art museum, in Florence, Italy. Terminology The word ''bargello'' appear ...

. His proposals for sculpture to adorn the

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

of the Church of San Lorenzo, however, were rejected by

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was ins ...

, who was in charge of the scheme, to whom he wrote a bitter letter of protest in 1518. In the period of 1510-17 he shared a studio with the painter

Andrea del Sarto Andrea del Sarto (, , ; 16 July 1486 – 29 September 1530) was an Italian painter from Florence, whose career flourished during the High Renaissance and early Mannerism. He was known as an outstanding fresco decorator, painter of altar-pieces ...

, with whom he shared models. Like all sixteenth-century Italian architects, Sansovino devoted considerable energy to elaborate temporary structures related to courtly ceremonies and festivities. The triumphal entry of

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political an ...

into Florence in 1515 was a highpoint of this genre. He subsequently returned to Rome where he stayed for nine years, leaving for

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

in the year of the Sack of Rome.

Career

In 1529, Sansovino became chief architect and superintendent of properties (Protomaestro or ''Proto'') to the

Procurators of San Marco The office of Procurator of Saint Mark (Venetian: Procurador de San Marco) was one of the few lifetime appointments in the government of the Venetian Republic and was considered second only to that of the doge in prestige. Da Mosto, ''L'Archivio di ...

, making him one of the most influential artists in Venice. The appointment came with a salary of 80 ducats and an apartment near the clocktower in San Marco. Within a year his salary was raised to 180 ducats per year. His main achievements are a group of prominent structures and buildings in central Venice found near

, specifically the rusticated Zecca (public mint), the highly decorated Loggetta and its sculptures adjoining the Campanile, and various statues and

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

s for the Basilica of San Marco. He also helped rebuild a number of buildings, churches, palaces, and institutional buildings including the churches of

San Zulian The Chiesa di San Giuliano ( St Julian), commonly called San Zulian in the Venetian dialect, is a church in Venice. San Zulian is in the parish of San Salvador. It is situated on the Merceria, the main shopping street of the city. Originally a st ...

, San Francesco della Vigna, San Martino, San Geminiano (now destroyed), Santo Spirito in Isola, and the church of the Incurabili. Among palaces and buildings are the Scuola Grande della Misericordia (early plans), Ca' de Dio,

Palazzo Dolfin Manin Palazzo Dolfin Manin is a palace in the ''sestiere'' of San Marco on the Canal Grande of Venice, northern Italy. It is located near the Palazzo Bembo and Palazzo Dandolo Paolucci, not far from the Rialto Bridge. History The palace was built by ...

, Palazzo Corner, Palazzo Moro, and the Fabbriche Nuove di Rialto. His masterpiece is the Library of Saint Mark's, the '' Biblioteca Marciana'', one of Venice's most richly decorated Renaissance structures, which stands in front of the Doge's palace, across the piazzetta. Construction spanned fifty years and cost over 30,000 ducats.D. Howard page 155. In it he successfully made the architectural language of

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthet ...

, traditionally associated with severity and restraint, palatable to the Venetians with their love of surface decoration. This paved the way for the graceful architecture of

. He died in

and his tomb is in the Baptistery of

St. Mark's Basilica The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark ( it, Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco), commonly known as St Mark's Basilica ( it, Basilica di San Marco; vec, Baxéłega de San Marco), is the cathedral church of the Catholic Pat ...

. His most important follower in the medium of sculpture was

Alessandro Vittoria Alessandro Vittoria funerary monument - San Zaccaria, Venice Alessandro Vittoria (1525–1608) was an Italian Mannerist sculptor of the Venetian school, "one of the main representatives of the Venetian classical style" and rivalling Giambo ...

; another disciple was the architect and sculptor Danese Cataneo.

Gallery

(Venice) Courtyard of the Doge's Palace - Scala dei giganti - Mars.jpg, Mars (Venice) Courtyard of the Doge's Palace - Scala dei giganti - Neptune.jpg, Neptune Jacopo Sansovino, Door Knocker with Nereid, Triton, and Putti, c. 1550, NGA 56932.jpg, ''Door Knocker with Nereid, Triton, and Putti'', c. 1550, National Gallery of Art Jacopo sansovino (cerchia), sant'onofrio, 1505-10 ca. 02.JPG, St. Onofrio Frari (Venice) Chapel Corner - Statue of St. John the Baptist by Jacopo Sansovino.jpg, St. John the Baptist

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, usually just called the Frari, is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy. The largest church in the city, it has the status of a minor ba ...

Maestro del san giovannino, san giovannino nel deserto, 1505-1507 circa 03.JPG Bacchus by Jacopo Sansovino.jpg, Bacchus San Zulian (Venice) - Statue of Thomas Rangone by Jacopo Sansovino 2.jpg, Statue of Thomas Rangone by Jacopo Sansovino Maestro del san giovannino, cavaliere che calpesta un vinto, 1506-1510 circa, da museo horne 01.JPG Jacopo sansovino, madonna col bambino, ve, 04.JPG Jacopo Sansovino, Madonna and Child, c. 1550, NGA 46086.jpg

Biography

Career

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading