Giovanni Cristoforo (or Giancristoforo) Romano (1456–1512) was an

Italian Renaissance sculptor Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...

list. Born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to Isaia da Pisa, he was probably a pupil of Andrea Bregno. His first known works are in the Ducal Palace of

Urbino Urbino ( , ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially und ...

, dating from before 1482. Later he worked as medallist for the courts of

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

and

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

, where he was a favourite of duchess Isabella d'Este. In 1491 he moved to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

called by Isabella's brother-in-law

Ludovico Sforza Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; 'the Moor'), and called the "arbiter of Italy" by historian Francesco Guicciardini,

, who commissioned him the tomb of

Gian Galeazzo Visconti Gian Galeazzo Visconti (16 October 1351 – 3 September 1402), was the first duke of Duchy of Milan, Milan (1395) and ruled that late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance. He also ruled Lombardy jointly with his uncle Bernabò V ...

at the Certosa di Pavia, which he executed in collaboration with Benedetto Briosco. After the fall of the Sforza (1499) he returned to work for Isabella d'Este, for which he executed some fine medals and the precious marble portal of her study in the Ducal Palace of Mantua. Later, he sojourned in Rome (called by

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

, and again Milan and Urbino. The tripartite marble altar-piece in the Costa Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo was probably created by him for Cardinal Jorge da Costa around 1505. He died in 1512.

References

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...

, ''Le vite'' * A. Venturi, ''Studi su G.C.R. scultore'' in ''Atti del I congresso nazionale di studi romani'', Roma 1929 * R. Bossaglia, ''La scultura'', in ''La Certosa di Pavia'', a cura di M. G. Albertini Ottolenghi, R. Bossaglia, F. R. Pesenti, Milano 1968 * A. Nova, "Dall'arca alle esequie. Aspetti della scultura a Cremona nel XVI secolo", in ''I Campi e la cultura artistica cremonese del cinquecento'', Milano 1985 {{DEFAULTSORT:Romano, Giancristoforo Italian Renaissance sculptors 1456 births 1512 deaths Italian medallists Sculptors from Rome 15th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors 16th-century Italian sculptors