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Antonio Pollaiuolo

Born – Florence, Italy c.1432

Died – Rome, Italy 1498

 

With his younger brother, Piero, Antonio Pollaiuolo maintained one of the most successful workshops in Florence during the second half of the fifteenth century. It produced a wide range of art forms including tapestry designs, sculpture, metalwork and paintings. Among the most prestigious commissions was a silver reliquary for the Florentine Baptistery and the bronze tombs for Pope Sixtus IV and Pope Innocent VIII in St Peter’s Rome. The high quality engraving, Battle of the Ten Nudes, is a good example of Antonio’s abiding passion for anatomical study and his skilled draughtsmanship; this is represented by his depiction of figures in vigorous action. According to the treatise of humanist and architect Alberti, painting should be divided into contour, composition and light – contour being the clear delineation between figures, and composition the way individual elements fit together. When the latter was applied to anatomy, Alberti allegedly advised artists to draw the skeleton first, add the muscles next and then pad out with flesh and skin. This engraving epitomizes Alberti’s theories and, along with other works, gained Antonio the reputation of being the precursor to Leonardo.

 

Masterpieces:

• Martydom of Saint Sebastian
• Tombs of Popes Sixtus IV and Innocent VIII

Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.

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