Andrea Alessi (, , – 1504/05) was a Venetian architect and sculptor of Albanian descent, considered one of the most distinguished artists of Venetian

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

and

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Life

Andrea Alessi was born around 1425 in the city of Durazzo in

Venetian Albania Venetian Albania (, , , , ) was the official term for several possessions of the Republic of Venice in the southeastern Adriatic, encompassing coastal territories primarily in present-day southern Montenegro and partially in northern Albania. Se ...

(modern day Durrës, Albania) and may have been of local Albanian origin rather than Italian. Other sources say he was of Italian origin. He moved to the city of

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

in Dalmatia during the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

, where he studied under sculptor Mark Troja. He lived most of his life and conducted much of his work in Dalmatia, working in Split,

Šibenik Šibenik (), historically known as Sebenico (), is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka (Croatia), Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatia, Croatian self-governing cities ...

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

Rab Rab may refer to: Places * Rab (island), an island in Croatia * Rab (town), on the island of Rab * Ráb, the Slovak name of Győr, a city in Hungary * Rąb, a village in Poland People * Rab (surname), includes a list of people with the n ...

Trogir Trogir () is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 10,107 (2021) and a total municipal population of 12,393 (2021). The historic part of the city is situated on a small island ...

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

, and the

Tremiti Islands The Tremiti Islands (, ), also literarily known as Isole Diomedee (" Diomedean Islands", from Greek ), are an archipelago in the Adriatic Sea, some offshore to the north of the Gargano Peninsula. They constitute a of Italy's Province of Foggi ...

. He died in Split in either 1504 or 1505 and was buried Durrës. Trogir cathedral entrance detail 016

Career

Alessi was a disciple of

Giorgio da Sebenico Giorgio da Sebenico () or Giorgio Orsini or Juraj Dalmatinac (; c. 1410 – 10 October 1473) was a Venetian sculptor and architect from Dalmatia, who worked mainly in Sebenico (now Šibenik, Croatia), and in the city of Ancona, then a maritim ...

, and his best-known work is with Niccolò di Giovanni Fiorentino on the expansion of the Chapel of St. John of Trogir located in Trogir that began in 1468. Just like

Šibenik Cathedral The Cathedral of St. James () in Šibenik, Croatia, is a triple-nave Catholic basilica with three apses and a dome (32 m high inside). It is the episcopal seat of the Šibenik diocese. It is also the most important architectural monument of the ...

of Saint James in Dalmatia, the Chapel of was composed out of large stone blocks with extreme precision. It is unique harmony of architecture and sculpture according to antique ideals. From inside, there is no flat wall. In the middle of chapel, on the altar, lays the

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

of blessed

John of Trogir John of Trogir (died before 1111) was the bishop of Trogir, a Christian saint who lived in the 11th century. He was originally a Benedictine monk in the monastery of Saint Peter in Osor, located on the island of Cres. John was eventually consecr ...

. Surrounding are reliefs of

putto A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and very often winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University ...

s carrying torches that look like they were peeping out of doors of Underworld. Above them there are niches with sculptures of Christ and apostles (the principle work of Alessi), amongst them are putties, circular windows encircled with fruit garland, and a relief of Nativity. All is ceiled with

coffered ceiling A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, also ...

with image of God in the middle and ninety-six portrait heads of angels. With so many faces of smiling children the chapel looks very cheerful and there isn’t nothing similar in European art of that time. Andrea is best known for his merchant statues in Ancona, Italy, and his mural paintings in the

Trogir Cathedral The Cathedral of St. Lawrence (, ) is a Roman Catholic triple-naved basilica constructed in Romanesque- Gothic in Trogir, Croatia. Since its construction lasted several centuries, it illustrates all the styles that succeeded one another in Dalmat ...

, particularly ''The Baptistry of Trogir.'' He signed the Trogir Baptistery in 1467 with: ''ANDREAS ALEXIUS DURRACHINUS OPIFEX MCCCCXII'' (Andreas Alexius, artisan from Durrës, 1462).

References

External links

Biography
at the

Croatian Post Croatian may refer to: *Croatia *Croatian language *Croatian people *Croatians (demonym) See also * * * Croatan (disambiguation) * Croatia (disambiguation) * Croatoan (disambiguation) * Hrvatski (disambiguation) * Hrvatsko (disambiguation) * Se ...

stamp collection web site {{DEFAULTSORT:Aleksi, Andrea 15th-century Italian architects 15th-century Italian sculptors Republic of Venice architects Republic of Venice sculptors Albanian architects Albanian sculptors People from Durrës 1420s births 1505 deaths Venetian period in the history of Albania Venetian period in the history of Croatia 15th-century Croatian sculptors