Giovanni Bernardi (1494 – 22 May 1553), also known as Giovanni da Castel Bolognese and as Giovanni da Castelbolognese, was an Italian

gem engraver An engraved gem, frequently referred to as an intaglio, is a small and usually semi-precious gemstone that has been carved, in the Western tradition normally with images or inscriptions only on one face. The engraving of gemstones was a major lux ...

and

medallist A medalist (or medallist) is an artist who designs medals, plaquettes, badges, metal medallions, coins and similar small works in relief in metal. Historically, medalists were typically also involved in producing their designs, and were usually e ...

who was born in Castel Bolognese, Italy. He was the son of a goldsmith and by 1530 had moved to Rome, where he had a position in the Papal mint, which also allowed him time to work for other patrons. These included

Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici Ippolito de' Medici (March 1511 – 10 August 1535) was the only son of Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, born out-of-wedlock to his mistress Pacifica Brandano. Biography Ippolito was born in Urbino. His father died when he was only five (1516), an ...

(1511–35),

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

(1523–34), Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, the future

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549. He came to ...

, as well as his grandson, also called

Cardinal Alessandro Farnese Alessandro Farnese (5 October 1520 – 2 March 1589), an Italian cardinal and diplomat and a great collector and patron of the arts, was the grandson of Pope Paul III (who also bore the name ''Alessandro Farnese''), and the son of Pier Luigi Farn ...

. He was "a skillful composer of elegant nudes in elaborate scenes". Bernardi was best known for his intaglios engraved in

rock crystal Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

, which had been pioneered by

Valerio Belli Valerio Belli (c. 1468–1546), also known as Valerio Vicentino, was a celebrated medallist, gem engraver, goldsmith, who with Giovanni Bernardi, who was twenty years younger, was the leading specialist in intaglios engraved in rock crystal, a di ...

. This was a difficult luxury artform that was fashionable among wealthy Italian collectors. Though described as being "engraved", the intaglios are cut by drills, sometimes quite deeply. Castings of many of the crystal carvings were taken in wax and them used to make metal

plaquette A plaquette (, ''small plaque'') is a small low relief sculpture in bronze or other materials. These were popular in the Italian Renaissance and later. They may be commemorative, but especially in the Renaissance and Mannerist periods were oft ...

s, which Bernardi also designed and made ''de novo''. He also made some versions in glass.British_Museum_page_on_''The_Punishment_of_ British_Museum_page_on_''The_Punishment_of_Tityos
''">Tityos">British_Museum_page_on_''The_Punishment_of_Tityos
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''_Wilson,_111 He_died_in_Faenza">Faenza,_Italy_in_1553. File:Giovanni_Bernardi_-_The_Battle_of_Pavia_-_Walters_4168.jpg.html" ;"title="Faenza.html" ;"title="Tityos
''.html" ;"title="Tityos">British Museum page on ''The Punishment of Tityos">British_Museum_page_on_''The_Punishment_of_Tityos
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'' Wilson, 111 He died in Faenza">Faenza, Italy in 1553. File:Giovanni Bernardi - The Battle of Pavia - Walters 4168.jpg">''Battle of Pavia">The Battle of Pavia'' in an engraved rock crystal Cameo (carving)">cameo relief commissioned by Cardinal

Ippolito de' Medici Ippolito de' Medici (March 1511 – 10 August 1535) was the only son of Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, born out-of-wedlock to his mistress Pacifica Brandano. Biography Ippolito was born in Urbino. His father died when he was only five (1516), an ...

, ''c'' 1531-35 (

Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...

) File:Giovanni Bernardi - Plaque with Christ before Pilate - Walters 41240.jpg, ''Christ before Pilate'', perhaps from a set of engraved rock crystal plaques depicting the life of Christ that, according to

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...

, Bernardi completed in 1547 for

(

) File:Giovanni Bernardi - The Fall of Phaethon - Walters 4169.jpg, ''The Fall of Phaethon'', after a design by

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

, for Cardinal

(

) File:Giovanni bernardi, adorazione dei pastori, 1550 ca..JPG, Plaquette with ''Adoration of the Shepherds''

Notes

References

* Krasnowa, Natalie, ''Rock-Crystals by Giovanni Bernardi in the Hermitage Museum'', The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 56, No. 322 (Jan., 1930), 36-38. * Thornton, D., ''Valerio Belli and after: Renaissance gems in the British Museum'', Jewellery Studies-3, 1998, 11-20. * Vasari, Giorgio, ''Le Vite delle più eccellenti pittori, scultori, ed architettori'', many editions and translations. * Wilson, Carolyn C., ''Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts'', 1983, National Gallery of Art (Washington),

External links

Giovanni Bernardi in ArtCyclopediaEuropean sculpture and metalwork
a collection catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Bernardi (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernardi, Giovanni 16th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors Italian medallists Engraved gem artists 1494 births 1553 deaths 16th-century medallists