Giovanni Bernardi (1494 – 22 May 1553), also known as Giovanni da Castel Bolognese and as Giovanni da Castelbolognese, was an Italian
gem engraver 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, which had been pioneered by
Valerio Belli. 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 Tityos">British Museum page on ''The Punishment of Tityos
'' Wilson, 111
He died in Faenza, Italy in 1553.
File:Giovanni Bernardi - The Battle of Pavia - Walters 4168.jpg">'' The Battle of Pavia'' in an engraved rock crystal Cameo (carving)">cameo relief commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici, ''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, Bernardi completed in 1547 for 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 ...
(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 - 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 Ippolito de' Medici (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, 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