I want to introduce you to creativity
JACOPO DELLA QUERCHA-1371 - 1438, Italian ogosculptor transition period from medieval tradition to style Renaissance .His work interested me after visiting the cathedral in Lucca, where one of his famous works is located - tombstoneIlaria Carretto
The wrong proportions of the human body and the dryness of the contours of his work still speak of the proximity of the sculptor to the 13th century. In knowledge of anatomy and in the transfer of the individuality of the depicted persons, he is inferior to his contemporary Donatello, but in terms of striving for the majesty of forms, in strength and depth of feeling, he can be considered the successor of Giovanni Pisano and the predecessor of Michelangelo.
MAIN WORKS
His main works: tombstone Ilaria Carretto in the Cathedral of Lucca, an altar and two monuments in the church San Frediano Bows, sculptural decorations of the main portal of the church St. Petronius in Bologna, sculptures of a fountain in Piazza del Campo in Siena, which gave the artist a nickname "della Fonte" and depicting the Mother of God, allegorical personifications of the virtues and some events of the Old Testament.
ABOUT SCULPTOR
Jacopo della Quercia was born in the 70s of the XIV century in the town of Quercia in the Siena region. His father Pietro de Filippo was a jeweler and sculptor. The first of his works were performed in Siena at the age of 19.
Fleeing from the plague, Jacopo arrived in Lucca, where the signor was Paulo Gvinigi, who shortly before that had lost his young and beloved wife, Ilaria. For her, in the Quinigi Chapel of the Cathedral of St. Martin, Jacopo made a marble tombstone. The tombstone has the appearance of a sarcophagus, on the side walls of which putti are depicted, carrying a garland, and on top lies a dead beauty and her dog at her feet, a symbol of fidelity to her husband.
After that, Jacopo went to Florence to participate in the competition for the execution of one of the doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni. He made a model that was universally recognized as magnificent and would undoubtedly have won the competition if such masters as Donatello and Bruneleschi had not participated in it.
Not daring to compete with the sculptors, whose authority he recognized, Jacopo went to Bologna, where for 12 years he worked on the marble portal of the Cathedral of San Petronio. On the portal, he carved 15 stories from the Old Testament, from the creation of man to the Flood. And in the arch above the portal, he made marble figures of the Madonna and Child, St. Petronius and another saint. Both the portal and the figures above it have survived to our time.
Bologna. The Basilica of San Petronio. Its facade was never completed.
Bologna. Basilica of San Petronio
Portal of the Church of San Petronio in Bologna.
Portal details.
Basilica of Saint Fridian, Lucca
Altar and two monuments in the churchSan FredianoLuke. The work of Jacopo della Quercia.
The main town square in SIENA is Piazza del Campo, where the fountain is located.
Around 1340, the Signoria of Siena decided to build a public fountain in the main square of the city, Piazza del Campo. The work was entrusted to the Sienese sculptors and architects Agostino and Agnolo, who built a rectangular bowl of the fountain and led water to it through lead and clay pipes. On June 01, 1343, the grand opening of the fountain took place. After that, Agnolo left for Assisi. Agostino also began to make drawings for the marble decoration of the fountain. Making drawings, he died in the square near the fountain he created.
In 1408, Jacopo della Quercia, who became famous for his work in Bologna, Lucca and Florence, returned to his homeland in Siena. Jacopo decorated three walls of the fountain with marble sculptures.
In the center, he placed a sculpture of the Virgin Mary with the baby Christ in her arms, and around her marble sculptures of two angels, the seven Virtues and Rhea Sylvia with the babies Romulus and Remus in her arms.
Marble relief compositions - "The Expulsion from Paradise" and "The Creation of Adam" - were also made. Below, under the figures and reliefs, he placed sculptures of lions and wolves, which served as the emblem of the city of Siena. The marble decoration of the fountain was completed in 1419 and caused such enthusiasm among the Sienese that the sculptor Jacopo della Quercia was then called Jacopo della Fonte.
In the 19th century, it was decided to transfer the original sculptures from the fountain, which had suffered from time to time, to the museum of the Palazzo Pubblico, and instead put copies in the square. The copies were made in the middle of the 19th century by the Sienese sculptor Tito Sarocchi.
OTHER WORKS OF THE SCULPTOR
"Madonna. Humility", National Gallery, Washington
Acca Larentia, Siena
"Rhea Silvia", Siena
"Annunciation: Angel", Painted wood, height: 175 cm, San Gimignano
Baptismal font", marble, gilded bronze, height 402 cm
Baptistery, Siena
Archangel Gabriel, San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy
"Annunciation of the Virgin Mary", San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy
After that, Jacopo worked to decorate the Siena Cathedral and for his services to the city in 1435 was elevated to the Siena Signoria in knighthood. In the same year, he was appointed trustee of the Cathedral and remained in this position until his death, which occurred at the age of 64 on October 20, 1438. Jacopo buried the whole city. According to Vasari, Jacopo had a happy fate, because he found recognition of his talent and his merits in his homeland, and this rarely happens.
Jacopo della Quercia Jacopo detla Quercia (circa 1374, Siena, - 10/20/1438, ibid.), Italian sculptor, representative of the Early Renaissance. In 1401 he participated in a competition for the execution of the reliefs of the northern doors of the Florentine baptistery. He worked in Siena and Bologna, as well as in Lucca (1406) and Ferrara (1408). He relied on the traditions of Niccolo and Giovanni Pisano, experienced the influence of northern Italian plastic art at the turn of the 14th-15th centuries. Many works of J. D. K. are characterized by the influence of French Gothic (the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto in the cathedral in Lucca, 1406; the altar of Trent in the church of San Frediano in Lucca, 1416-22). Late Gothic features were largely overcome by J. D. K. in the late period of creativity in the harsh and heroic reliefs of the portal of the Church of San Petronio in Bologna (Istrian stone, 1425-38). Drama and monumentality, embodied in the powerful laconic images of the best works of J. D. K., had a significant impact on Michelangelo. Lit.: Libman M., Jacopo della Quercha, M., 1960; Seymour C h., Jacopo della Quercia, sculptor, New Haven-L., 1973; Jacopo della Quercia nell "arte del suo tempo ..., Firenze, 1975 (exhibition catalog).
Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .
See what "Jacopo della Quercia" is in other dictionaries:
Jacopo della Quercia- Jacopo della Quercia. Exile from paradise. Relief of the portal of the Church of San Petronio in Bologna. Jacopo della Quercia (circa 1374-1438), Italian sculptor of the Early Renaissance. The art of Jacopo della Quercia is characterized by intense drama ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
Jacopo della Quercia (circa 1374-1438), Italian sculptor. Representative of the Early Renaissance. He relied on the traditions of Niccolo and Giovanni Pisano, experienced the influence of North Italian plastic art of the XIV-XV centuries. And… … Art Encyclopedia
- (Jacopo della Quercia) (circa 1374-1438), Italian sculptor of the Early Renaissance. The art of Jacopo della Quercia is characterized by intense drama of images, monumentality, laconism of forms (reliefs of the portal of the Church of San Petronio in Bologna, 1425 38) ... Modern Encyclopedia
- (Jacopo della Quercia) (c. 1374 1438) Italian sculptor. Representative of the Early Renaissance. The art of Jacopo Della Quercia is characterized by dramatic images, monumentality, laconism of forms (reliefs of the portal of the church of San Petronio in Bologna, 1425 38) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Bas-relief of the Fonte Gaia (Fountain of Joy) fountain in Piazza del Campo in Siena Jacopo della Quercia (Italian Jacopo della Quercia; 1371, Quercia Grossa 1438, Siena) Italian sculptor of the transitional era from medieval traditions to style ... ... Wikipedia
- (Jacopo della Quercia) (circa 1374 1438), Italian sculptor of the Early Renaissance. The art of Jacopo della Querci is characterized by dramatic images, monumentality, laconic forms (reliefs of the portal of the Church of San Petronio in Bologna, 1425-38). * * *… … encyclopedic Dictionary
Quercea is an Italian sculptor. Jacopo dela Quercia was born around 1371 in Quercia Grossa, near Siena, from where his name comes from. Initially studied with his father, an obscure jeweler and wood carver. In 1401, Querch, already a well-known sculptor, was invited to take part in a competition for the best project for the second north door of the Florentine baptistery. Quercea, being perfectly familiar with the works of Niccolo and Giovanni Pisano, in his work relied on the traditions of proto-Renaissance plastics, as well as on the ancient heritage, which he had the opportunity to study on the example of Roman originals in Tuscan cities and in the proto-Renaissance refraction of Niccolo Pisano.
One of the first works of Querch is a statue of a seated Madonna and Child (1406), now kept in the museum at the cathedral in Ferrara. The tombstone of Ilaria del Carretto in the Cathedral of San Martino in Lucca dates from the same year. Ilaria was the wife of Lucca's tyrant Paolo Guinigi, a wealthy merchant and banker. After his death in 1432, the family chapel was looted by a mob, and the tomb was also damaged; but, according to Vasari, the crowd, fascinated by the beauty of the image of the deceased, did not dare to destroy it. The tomb was reassembled in pieces, but there is no complete certainty that the reconstruction was carried out absolutely accurately. The tomb probably had a canopy, was brightly painted and was on a somewhat lower level.
From the second decade, Quercha entered a difficult period of life, because. he simultaneously had to work on several monumental orders, and in different cities. In 1408, Quercea received an order for the manufacture of a reservoir for the central square of Siena. Fonte Gaia became one of the most significant works of the master. The reliefs and statues decorating the reservoir (1414-1419) form a coherent system, which was designed to strengthen civil virtues. The reliefs are placed on the low walls of the reservoir, forming a rectangle in plan. In the center is an image of the patroness of the city - the Madonna, surrounded by angels and virtues. Biblical (“Creation of Adam”, “Expulsion from Paradise”) and ancient themes are intertwined in the scenery of the reservoir in a very peculiar way. The statues of legendary characters - Rhea Sylvia and Akka Larencia, mother and nurse of Romulus and Remus, appealed to the patriotic feelings of the Sienese. Unfortunately, this wonderful work by Querch has come down to us in a very poor condition (individual figures, many heads are lost, the surface of the stone is badly damaged). And yet it is difficult not to succumb to the charm of this magnificent work of the master. In the period between the completion of Fonte Gaia and the receipt of an order for the Bolognese portal, Quercia, who did not have monumental orders, turned to wooden sculpture. With his group "The Annunciation" (1421-1426) in the Cathedral of San Gimignano, the master said a new word in this area of art, which is very close to the Sienese. In 1417-1434. A whole group of sculptors (including Ghiberti, Donatello and Quercia) created a hexagonal marble font decorated with reliefs in bronze in the Siena Baptistery. In 1427, Quercha was appointed head of work; he probably played a major role in the sculptural decoration of the marble tabernacle (civorium), which was decorated with reliefs with the figures of the prophets and crowned with a statue of John the Baptist. The font of the Siena Baptistery is important as a monument to the collaboration between Florentine and Sienese sculptors.
In 1425, Quercea received an order for the most important work of his life - the reliefs of the main portal of the church of San Petronio in Bologna. The decoration of the portal was strictly thought out as an integral system. It symbolized a gradual ascent through a series of intermediate steps from the earthly world to the heavenly world. The most significant part of the ensemble is the Old Testament scenes (“The Creation of Adam”, “The Fall”, “The Expulsion from Paradise”, “Adam and Eve” and others, ten in all), decorating the wide pilasters. They were made mainly by the master himself, and the best of them are entirely his own. In scenes from the Old Testament, Quercha reaches its greatest maturity. His artistic language is extremely laconic, the number of characters is reduced to a minimum, the landscape is barely outlined. It is not the details of the story, but only the dramatic content of the plot that occupies the artist, whose main attention is focused on figures with rare plastic expressiveness. Although Quercea does not use high relief, he achieves such monumentality and power by means of bas-relief that the images of Michelangelo are involuntarily recalled. Jacopo de Quercea died in 1438.
Madonna with Pomegranate, 1407-1408
Creation of Eve, relief of the portal of the cathedral, 1425-1438. San Petronio in Bologna.
Zechariah in the temple, relief of the font of the Baptistery in Siena. Bronze. 1417-1428
Jacopo della Quercia.
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I want to introduce you to creativity
JACOPO DELLA QUERCHA-1371 - 1438, Italian ogosculptor transition period from medieval tradition to style Renaissance .His work interested me after visiting the cathedral in Lucca, where one of his famous works is located - tombstoneIlaria Carretto
The wrong proportions of the human body and the dryness of the contours of his work still speak of the proximity of the sculptor to the 13th century. In knowledge of anatomy and in the transfer of the individuality of the depicted persons, he is inferior to his contemporary Donatello, but in terms of striving for the majesty of forms, in strength and depth of feeling, he can be considered the successor of Giovanni Pisano and the predecessor of Michelangelo.
MAIN WORKS
His main works: tombstone Ilaria Carretto in the Cathedral of Lucca, an altar and two monuments in the church San Frediano Bows, sculptural decorations of the main portal of the church St. Petronius in Bologna, sculptures of a fountain in Piazza del Campo in Siena, which gave the artist a nickname "della Fonte" and depicting the Mother of God, allegorical personifications of the virtues and some events of the Old Testament.
ABOUT SCULPTOR
Jacopo della Quercia was born in the 70s of the XIV century in the town of Quercia in the Siena region. His father Pietro de Filippo was a jeweler and sculptor. The first of his works were performed in Siena at the age of 19.
Fleeing from the plague, Jacopo arrived in Lucca, where the signor was Paulo Gvinigi, who shortly before that had lost his young and beloved wife, Ilaria. For her, in the Quinigi Chapel of the Cathedral of St. Martin, Jacopo made a marble tombstone. The tombstone has the appearance of a sarcophagus, on the side walls of which putti are depicted, carrying a garland, and on top lies a dead beauty and her dog at her feet, a symbol of fidelity to her husband.
After that, Jacopo went to Florence to participate in the competition for the execution of one of the doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni. He made a model that was universally recognized as magnificent and would undoubtedly have won the competition if such masters as Donatello and Bruneleschi had not participated in it.
Not daring to compete with the sculptors, whose authority he recognized, Jacopo went to Bologna, where for 12 years he worked on the marble portal of the Cathedral of San Petronio. On the portal, he carved 15 stories from the Old Testament, from the creation of man to the Flood. And in the arch above the portal, he made marble figures of the Madonna and Child, St. Petronius and another saint. Both the portal and the figures above it have survived to our time.
Bologna. The Basilica of San Petronio. Its facade was never completed.
Bologna. Basilica of San Petronio
Portal of the Church of San Petronio in Bologna.
Portal details.
Basilica of Saint Fridian, Lucca
Altar and two monuments in the churchSan FredianoLuke. The work of Jacopo della Quercia.
The main town square in SIENA is Piazza del Campo, where the fountain is located.
Around 1340, the Signoria of Siena decided to build a public fountain in the main square of the city, Piazza del Campo. The work was entrusted to the Sienese sculptors and architects Agostino and Agnolo, who built a rectangular bowl of the fountain and led water to it through lead and clay pipes. On June 01, 1343, the grand opening of the fountain took place. After that, Agnolo left for Assisi. Agostino also began to make drawings for the marble decoration of the fountain. Making drawings, he died in the square near the fountain he created.
In 1408, Jacopo della Quercia, who became famous for his work in Bologna, Lucca and Florence, returned to his homeland in Siena. Jacopo decorated three walls of the fountain with marble sculptures.
In the center, he placed a sculpture of the Virgin Mary with the baby Christ in her arms, and around her marble sculptures of two angels, the seven Virtues and Rhea Sylvia with the babies Romulus and Remus in her arms.
Marble relief compositions - "The Expulsion from Paradise" and "The Creation of Adam" - were also made. Below, under the figures and reliefs, he placed sculptures of lions and wolves, which served as the emblem of the city of Siena. The marble decoration of the fountain was completed in 1419 and caused such enthusiasm among the Sienese that the sculptor Jacopo della Quercia was then called Jacopo della Fonte.
In the 19th century, it was decided to transfer the original sculptures from the fountain, which had suffered from time to time, to the museum of the Palazzo Pubblico, and instead put copies in the square. The copies were made in the middle of the 19th century by the Sienese sculptor Tito Sarocchi.
OTHER WORKS OF THE SCULPTOR
"Madonna. Humility", National Gallery, Washington
Acca Larentia, Siena
"Rhea Silvia", Siena
"Annunciation: Angel", Painted wood, height: 175 cm, San Gimignano
Baptismal font", marble, gilded bronze, height 402 cm
Baptistery, Siena
Archangel Gabriel, San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy
"Annunciation of the Virgin Mary", San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy
After that, Jacopo worked to decorate the Siena Cathedral and for his services to the city in 1435 was elevated to the Siena Signoria in knighthood. In the same year, he was appointed trustee of the Cathedral and remained in this position until his death, which occurred at the age of 64 on October 20, 1438. Jacopo buried the whole city. According to Vasari, Jacopo had a happy fate, because he found recognition of his talent and his merits in his homeland, and this rarely happens.
BIOLOGY OF JACOPO DELLA QUERCH
Sienese sculptor
(Jacopo di Pietro d "Angelo della Quercia - Sienese sculptor; was born in the town of Quercia in the 70s of the XIV century, died in October 1438. The son of the jeweler and sculptor Pietro d" Angelo. He worked in Siena, Lucca, Bolopia, Florence, where he participated in the competition for the door of the baptistery in 1401.
Major works: "Fonte di Piazza" ("Fonte Gaia") in Sieie (1408-1419) and a font in the Siena Baptistery; statue of the Madonna in Ferrara Cathedral (1408); the tomb of Hilarius del Carretto (1406); a statue of an apostle (1413) and an altar of the Trent family (completed in 1422) in the cathedral of Lucca; sculpture of the portal of the church of San Petronio (since 1425) in Bologna. Other works: a bas-relief for the Casini Chapel (Adoration of the Magi) in Siena Cathedral (now in the Oietti collection in Florence); statue of the Madonna in the Louvre; the tomb of Vari in the church of San Giacomo in Bologna; two wooden works ("Angel" and "Annunciation") in the parish church of San Gimignano.)
So 1 , sculptor Jacopo, son of master Piero di Philippe 2 from Querci, a town in the Siena region, was the first who, after Andrea Pisano, Organi 3 and others mentioned above, working in the field of sculpture with great diligence and diligence, began to show how one can approach nature, and was the first to encourage others, inspiring them with the hope of being able to at least to some extent equal with it.
The first of his works worthy of mention were performed in Siena when he was nineteen years old, and on the following occasion. When the Sienese marched against the Florentines under the leadership of Gian Tedesco, Saccone's nephew from Pietramala, and Giovanni d'Azzo Ubaldini, Giovanni d'Azzo fell ill on the campaign and, transported to Siena, died there. The Sienese, grieved by his death, decided to erect for his funeral, which was very honorable, a wooden structure in the form of a pyramid and to place on it an equestrian statue of this Giovanni by Jacopo 4 , exceeding the natural height and made with great taste and ingenuity, for Jacopo invented a method for this work that had not been used until then, making the skeleton of a horse and figures from pieces of wood and boards, knocked together and then wrapped in hay and tow; all this was tightly tied with ropes and covered on top with clay mixed with scraps of linen, dough and glue. This method was and remains truly the best of all that is used in such cases, for although the works made in this way are heavy in appearance, nevertheless later, when they are ready and dried, they become light, and, being whitewashed, they seem marble and very pleasing to the eye, which was the named work of Jacopo 5 . To this it must be added that statues made in this way and from the said mixture do not crack, which would happen to them if they were made from one solid clay. It is in this way that models of sculptures are now made, to the greatest convenience of artists, for in them they always have before their eyes the model and the correct dimensions of the sculptures they make, for which they owe a great deal to Jacopo, who is said to have been the inventor of this.
Zasim Jacopo worked in Siena two linden boards, carving faces, beards and hair on them with such patience that it was marvelous to look at them. 6 . And after these boards, which were placed in the cathedral, he made of marble several not very large prophets, located on the facade of the named cathedral 7 , under whose patronage he would have continued to work, if the plague, famine and strife of the Sienese citizens who rebelled repeatedly had not led to confusion in this city and Orlando Malevolti had not been expelled, under whose patronage Jacopo worked and received recognition in his homeland. Then he also left Siena and, with the help of some friends, reached Lucca, where the signor was Paolo Gvinigi, for whose wife, who had recently died, he made a tombstone there in the church of San Martino 8 . On its plinth, he carved from marble several putti carrying a garland so carefully that their body seems alive, and on the coffin standing on the named plinth, he sculpted with infinite zeal the image of the wife of this same Paolo Gvinigi buried in it, and at her feet as a sign of her fidelity to her husband, he carved a round relief from the same stone of a dog. After Paolo left, or rather was expelled from Lucca in 1429 and the city became free, the tomb was removed from that place and, due to the hatred that the inhabitants of Lucca had for the memory of Guinigi, was almost destroyed, but respect for beauty figures and such decorations held them back, as a result of which both the coffin and the figure lying on it were soon carefully installed at the entrance to the sacristy, where they are now; the chapel of Gvinidzhi was transferred to the city commune.
Meanwhile, Jacopo heard that the Calimara merchant guild in Florence was about to order one of the bronze doors of the San Giovanni temple, the first of which, as already mentioned, was made by Andrea the Pisan 9 , and went to Florence in order to show himself: this work was to be entrusted to the one who, having completed one of the bronze stories, would present the best example, giving an idea of him and his abilities.
Arriving in this way in Florence, he made not only a model, but a completely finished, finished and excellently executed story, which pleased so much that if competing with him were not such excellent masters as Donatello and Filippo Brunellesco, who in their samples really surpassed him, then such an important work would be transferred to him 10 . However, as it turned out differently, he went to Bologna, where, by the grace of Giovanni Bentivogli, he was commissioned by the trustees of San Petronio to make the main doors of this church in marble. He continued this work in the German warrant 11 , so as not to change the manner in which it was begun before, filling in those places where there was no order of pilasters bearing a cornice and an arch, with stories that he performed with infinite love for more than twelve years, which he devoted to this work, carving with his own hand all the foliage and frame of said door with the greatest care and diligence possible 12 . On the pilasters that carry the architrave, cornice and arch, there are five stories on each pilaster and five on the architrave, for a total of fifteen. He carved on all of them bas-relief stories from the Old Testament, namely from the creation of man to the Flood and Noah's ark, bringing sculpture the greatest benefit, for from the ancients to that time there was no one who would work in low relief, since this method was rather lost than distorted 13 . In the arch of this portal, he placed three round human-sized marble figures, namely, the most beautiful Mother of God with a baby in her arms, St. Petronius and another saint, placing them very well and in beautiful poses. No wonder the Bolognese, who did not even think that it was possible to make a thing out of marble, not only the best, but at least equal to the work of the Sienese Agostino and Agnolo 14 , executed by them in the old manner for the high altar of the church of San Francesco in their city, they realized that they were mistaken when they saw that this work was much more beautiful.
After that, Jacopo was invited back to Lucca, where he went very willingly, and in the church of San Friano for Federigo, the son of the master of Trent del Vella, sculpted on a marble board the Virgin Mary with the baby in her arms, St. Sebastian, St. Lucius, St. Jerome and St. Sigismund in a good manner, with great elegance and good drawing, but below in the predella under each saint - several semi-relief stories from their lives 15 . This thing was very beautiful and attractive, for Jacopo with great skill showed the reduction of the figures standing on the ground, and made the more distant ones flatter. And besides, he greatly inspired others, teaching them to give their work more grace and beauty, using new methods after carving on two large tombstones bas-relief portraits of the customer of this work, Federigo and his wife; on these plates are placed the following words: Hoc opus fecit Jacobus magistri Petri de Senis 1422 16 .
After this, Jacopo went to Florence, where the trustees of Santa Maria del Fiore, having received a good opinion of him, ordered him a tympanum of marble, which is above the doors of this temple, overlooking the Annunziata, in which he depicted in the mandorla the Madonna, ascended to heaven by a choir of angels, playing and singing, with the most beautiful movements and in the most beautiful poses, and discovering in flight an impulse and courage hitherto unseen 17 . In the same way, the Madonna is dressed with such grace and nobility that it is difficult to imagine better, for the folds fall very beautifully and very softly and you can see how the very fabric of her robe, following the outlines of the body of the figure, envelops and at the same time exposes every turn. its individual members. And at the feet of the Madonna is depicted St. Thomas taking her belt. In general, this work was carried out by Jacopo for four years with the greatest perfection that he was capable of; for besides the natural desire to make good the rivalry of Donato, Philippe and Lorenzo di Bartolo 18 , who had already created several works, highly praised, encouraged him even more to do what he did, and it was done in such a way that even today modern artists consider this work as a most valuable thing. On the other side of the Madonna, opposite St. Thomas, Jacopo depicted a bear climbing a pear tree 19 . A lot was said about this invention of his then, and we could say something, but I’d better keep silent about it, leaving everyone to believe this fiction or think about it at their own discretion.
After that, Jacopo wanted to see his homeland, and he returned to Siena. When he arrived there, an opportunity presented itself to him in accordance with his desire to leave a worthy memory of himself in his native city. For the Sienese Signoria, which decided to create the richest marble decoration of the fountain, arranged in the square in 1343 by the Sienese Agnolo and Agostino, entrusted this work to Jacopo for a reward of two thousand two hundred gold 20 . So, having made a model and painted marble, he set to work and completed it to the great satisfaction of his fellow citizens, who since then have always called him not Jacopo della Quercia, but Jacopo della Fonte (Fonte (fonte) - source, fountain). In the middle of this fountain, he carved the glorious Virgin Mary, the special intercessor of their city, in a slightly larger size than other figures, in an elegant and original manner. Around it, he then depicted the seven theological virtues, whose gentle and pleasant faces he gave greater expressiveness and applied certain techniques indicating that he had already begun to grope for the right path, overcome the difficulties of art and give elegance to marble, discarding all the junk that previously used by sculptors who made the figures constrained and devoid of any grace, while Jacopo made them soft and bodily and finished the marble patiently and finely. In addition, he depicted several stories from the Old Testament, namely the creation of the first people and the eating of the forbidden fruit, where the female figure has a beautiful expression and graceful posture, and she addresses Adam, offering him an apple so respectfully that it seems impossible to refuse , not to mention the other parts of this work, full of the most beautiful observations, the most beautiful children and other decorations in the form of lions and wolves, which served as emblems in the coat of arms of this city. And all this was done by Jacopo with love, experience and taste for twelve years.
Three most beautiful semi-relief bronze stories from the life of St. John the Baptist, placed around the font of San Giovanni under the cathedral, and several bronze figures, but round, one cubit high, which are placed between the named stories and which are truly beautiful and worthy of praise 21 . And for these works, as an excellent master, and for a virtuous life, as a man of good morals, Jacopo was awarded knighthood by the Signoria of Siena, and a little later he was appointed trustee of the cathedral 22 . He performed this position in such a way that neither before nor after did anyone manage the guardianship better, for although he assumed these duties only three years before his death, he nevertheless carried out many useful and worthy events in the cathedral. And, although Jacopo was only a sculptor, he nevertheless drew intelligently, as evidenced by several sheets with his drawings, which are in our book and resemble in manner more a miniaturist than a sculptor. 23 . His portrait, placed above, I received from the master Domenico Beccafumi, a Sienese painter 24 , who told me a lot about the talent, kindness and courtesy of Jacopo. Broken by toil and constant work, he finally died at the age of sixty-four. 25 in his homeland in Siena, was mourned by friends and relatives and, moreover, by the whole city and was buried with honors. And his fate was truly happy, since such a talent was recognized in his homeland, because it rarely happens that talented people in their homeland are loved and revered by everyone.
Jacopo's student was Matteo, a Lucca sculptor who, in his hometown in 1444, made an octagonal marble temple for Domenico Galigano of Lucca in the church of San Martino, where the image of St. The Cross, once, as they say, miraculously sculpted by Nicodemus, one of the seventy-two disciples of the Savior; this temple is truly beautiful and very proportionate. He also made a round sculptural figure of St. Sebastian, three cubits in size, very beautiful, as it is distinguished by good drawing, excellent posture and clean work. He also made a tile, on which three truly beautiful figures are located in three niches, and which is located in the church where, as they say, the relics of St. Regula, and likewise that marble slab with three figures that is in San Michele, as well as a statue that stands on the corner of the same church from the outside, namely the Mother of God, indicating that Matteo sought to equal his teacher Lkono 26 .
Jacopo's student was also Piccolo Bolognese. 27 , who divinely completed, among other things, an unfinished marble shrine with the relics of St. Dominica, completely covered with stories and figures, located in Bologna - the one that Niccolò Pisano once started. And this brought him, in addition to benefit, a name so honorable that after that he was always called Niccolò del Arca (Arca (arca) - cancer). He completed this work already in 1460, and later he completed on the facade of the palace, where the Bolognese legate now lives, a bronze Our Lady four cubits high, placed there in 1478. In general, he was an outstanding master and a worthy student of Jacopo della Quercia, a Sienese.
