A CANDELABRUM.
di Caretto at Lucca , several of the puttini, or children, who bear the festoons which decorate the sides of thetomb, display peculiarities of infantine distortion which unquestionably prove the artist’s direct imitation ofnature. The career of Della Quercia may be regarded as the turning point in the history of Italian ornamentalsculpture, as he was the first of the actual Cinque-centists,—that is to say, the artists whose works conferso great a lustre upon the fifteenth century.
This distinguished sculptor was, however, far surpassed in grace, in dexterity, in the imitation of nature,and in a happy mastery over ornamental combination, by Lorenzo Ghiberti , one of his immediate followers.Donatello , again, imparted a life and vigour to the art, which, in spite of all their beauty, were often wantingin the compositions of Ghiberti ; and the qualities of both these artists were happily united in the person ofLucca della Robbia , who, during his long life (which extended from 1400 to 1480), executed an infinity ofworks, the ornamental details of which were carried out in a style of the freest and most graceful analogywith the antique. In the person of Filippo Brunelleschi the talents of the sculptor and the architect werecombined. The former are sufficiently evinced by the excellence of the trial-piece in which he competedwith Ghiberti for the execution of the celebrated gates of San Giovanni Battista; and the latter by his mag-nificent cathedral of Santa Maria delle Fiore at Florence . This combination of architectural and sculpturesqueability was, indeed, a distinguishing feature of the period. Figures, foliage, and conventional ornaments, wereso happily blended with mouldings and other structural forms, as to convey the idea that the whole sprangto life in one perfect form in the mind of the artist by whom the work was executed.
A developement of taste coincident with that noticeable in Tuscany took place at Naples, Rome , Milan, andVenice . At Naples, the torch that w r as lit by Massuccio was handed on by Andrea Ciccione, Bamboccio,Monaco, and Amillo Fiore.
At Rome , the opulence of the princes, and the great works undertaken by the successive Pontiffs, attractedto the Imperial City the highest ability procurable; and hence it is that in the various palaces and churchesfragments of exquisite decorative sculpture are still to be met with. Bramante, Baldassare Peruzzi , and eventhe great Raphael himself, did not disdain to design ornaments for carvers, of the purest taste and most exquisitefancy. Of the perfection attained in this department of art by the last-named artist the celebrated woodenstalls of the choir of San Pietro dei Casinensi at Perugia will long remain unquestionable evidence. The carryingout of these carvings by Stefano di Bergamo does full justice to the admirable compositions of Raphael .
At Milan, the important works of the Duomo, and the Certosa at Pavia , created a truly remarkable school ofart; among the most celebrated masters of which may be noticed Fusina, Solari, Agrati, Amadeo, and Sacchi.The sculptor’s talent had long been traditional in that vicinity, and there can be no doubt that these artistsembodied in the highest forms the lingering traditions of the maestri Comaschi, or Freemasons of Como;from whose genius many of the most celebrated buildings of the Middle Ages derived their highest graces ofadornment. Of all the Lombard Cinque-centists, however, the highest admiration must be reserved forAgostino Busti, better known as Bambaja , and his pupil Brambilla, whose exquisite works in arabesque at theCertosa must ever remain marvels of execution.
At Venice , the first great names which call for notice are those of the Lombardi, through whose talentsthat city was adorned with its most famous monuments. They were followed by Riccio, Bernardo, andDominico di Mantua, and many other sculptors; but their lesser glories are altogether eclipsed by those ofthe great Sansovino. At Lucca, Matteo Civitale (born 1435, died 1501) fully maintained the reputation ofthe period. Returning to Tuscany , we find, towards the close of the fifteenth century, the greatest perfectionof ornamental sculpture. The names of Mino da Fiesole —the greatest of the celebrated school of theFiesolani,—Benedetto da Majano , and Bernardo Rossellini, bring to our recollection the exquisite monumentswhich abound in the churches of Florence and the other principal towns of the Grand Duchy . These artistsexcelled alike in wood, in stone, and in marble; and their works have been surpassed in this style of artonly by those of two individuals. Of these, Andrea Contucci, better known as the elder Sansovino , was pre-eminent in his art; and it would appear impossible to carry ornamental modelling to greater perfection thanhe has exhibited in the wonderful monuments which form the pride of the church of Santa Maria del Popolo at Rome. His pupil, Jacopo Tatti , who subsequently took his master’s name, may be regarded as his onlyrival. He shone no less as an architect than as a sculptor, and his genius is displayed alike in the CornaroPalace, the Library of Venice, and his wonderful bronze doors to the sacristy of St. Mark.
After the death of this great master the art attained no farther progress.