Jacopo della Quercia – Biography of Jacopo della Quercia

Born in 1374 in Siena, Jacopo della Quercia He was one of the most original Italian sculptors of the early 15th century. His groundbreaking work influenced Italian artists such as Francesco di Giorgio, Niccolò dell’Arca, and Miguel Angel.

Jacopo della Quercia he came from a family of artisans; his father, Piero d’Angelo, was also a sculptor and his brother Priamo was a painter. In 1401 he participated in the contest for the bronze doors of the Baptistery of Florence, which Lorenzo Ghiberti won.

Around 1406 Jacopo he sculpted the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto in the Lucca Cathedral. Only the effigy and the sarcophagus survive. In 1408, in Ferrara, he made the statue of the Virgin and Child, which is still preserved in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, and a year later he was commissioned by the Fonte Gaia in the Piazza del Campo in Siena, now replaced for a copy; the original is in the loggia of the town hall. The scheme of this famous and highly original source seems to have been repeatedly modified, the most effective work being done between 1414 and 1419. At the same time, Jacopo he was working on the statue of an apostle for the exterior of Lucca Cathedral, the Trenta altar for the Church of San Frediano in Lucca, and slabs for the tombs of Lorenzo Trenta and his wife.

In 1417 he undertook the creation of two gilt bronze reliefs for the San Giovanni baptismal font in Siena. Being a dilatory artist, he completed only that of Zacharias in the Temple, the second was assigned to Donatello. The main work of Jacopo It is the sculpture around the portal of San Petronio in Bologna. The 10 scenes from Genesis, including The Creation of Eve, the 5 scenes from the early life of Christ, the reliefs of the prophets, and the statues of the Virgin and Child with Saints Petronius and Ambrose give a sense of depth that is seen often in Masaccio’s paintings.

In 1435 Jacopo He was appointed supervising architect of the Cathedral of Siena, for which he was employed in the (unfinished) decoration of the Cappella Casini. His innovative sculptural style found no immediate followers in Siena, Bologna, or Lucca, but it later became a profound influence on Michelangelo.