Andrea Riccio (1532) was an Italian sculptor and occasional architect, whose real name was Andrea Briosco, but is usually known by his

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...

meaning "curly"; he is also known as Il Riccio and Andrea Crispus ("curly" in Latin). He is mainly known for small bronzes, often practical objects such as inkwells, door knockers or fire-dogs, exquisitely sculpted and decorated in a classicizing Renaissance style. He was born at

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

, and first trained as a goldsmith by his father, Ambrogio di Cristoforo Briosco. He later began to study bronze casting under

Bartolomeo Bellano Bartolomeo Bellano, also known as Bartolomeo Vellano, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect who was born in Padua in 1437 or 1438. He was the son of a goldsmith and became a student of the sculptor Donatello, with whom he worked on m ...

, a pupil of

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), known mononymously as Donatello (; ), was an Italian Renaissance sculpture, Italian sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sc ...

. As an architect, he is known for the church of Santa Giustina in his native city. His masterpieces are the bronze Paschal candelabrum in the choir in

Basilica of Sant'Antonio The Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua () is a Catholic Church, Catholic church and Basilicas in the Catholic Church, minor basilica in Padua, Veneto, Northern Italy, dedicated to Anthony of Padua, St. Anthony of Padua. Although the ...

at Padua (1515), and the two bronze reliefs (1507) of ''David dancing before the Ark'' and ''Judith and Holofernes'' in the same church. His bronze and marble tomb of the physician ''Girolamo della Torre'' in the church of

San Fermo Saints Firmus and Rusticus () (died c. 290 AD) are venerated as two martyrs of Verona. Legend Their unreliable ''Acts'' state that Firmus and Rusticus, kinsmen, were prominent citizens of Bergamo. According to tradition, the soldier Firmus was ...

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

was beautifully decorated with reliefs, which were taken away by the French and are now in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

. His smaller, easily transportable, works appealed to collectors across Europe. A bronze lamp made by Riccio was a longtime possession of the Rothschild family, and is now in the collection of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Selected works

Rothschild Lamp The Rothschild Lamp is a 16th-century bronze oil lamp. Made by Italian gold and metal-smith Andrea Riccio, the lamp was a longtime possession of the Rothschild family The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish n ...

Shouting horseman The statuette of The Shouting Horseman was made by the sculptor Andrea Riccio (1470-1532). It is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The statuette shows a warrior wearing classical armour and riding bare-back, crying o ...

References

External links

Six works from the Frick
* ttp://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/search/results.html?_creators=ULAN5499&display=Riccio%2c+Andrea+%28Andrea+Briosco%29 6 works from the Courtauld Institute photo collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Riccio, Andrea Italian Renaissance sculptors Italian Renaissance architects 1470s births 1532 deaths Architects from Padua 16th-century Italian architects 16th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors Artists from Padua