Matteo Civitali (1436–1501) was an

Italian Renaissance sculptor Italian Renaissance sculpture was an important part of the art of the Italian Renaissance, in the early stages arguably representing the leading edge. The example of Ancient Roman sculpture hung very heavily over it, both in terms of style and t ...

and architect, painterThe only known painting attributed to Matteo, a triptych of the ''Virgin and Child with Saints Michael Archangel, John the Baptist, Biagio and Peter'', executed in 1467–69, was loaned to the 2004 exhibition. and engineer from

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

. He was a leading artistic personality of the

Early Renaissance Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occ ...

, where he was born and where most of his work remains.

Biography

He was trained in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, where

Antonio Rossellino Antonio Gamberelli (1427–1479), Janson, H.W. (1995) ''History of Art''. 5th edn. Revised and expanded by Anthony F. Janson. London: Thames & Hudson, p. 465. nicknamed Antonio Rossellino for the colour of his hair, was an Italian Renaissance ...

and

Mino da Fiesole Mino da Fiesole (c. 1429 – July 11, 1484), also known as Mino di Giovanni, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Poppi, Tuscany. He is noted for his portrait busts. Career Mino's work was influenced by his master Desiderio da Settignano and ...

influenced his mature style. He is known to have sculpted statues of Adam, Eve, Abraham, Saints Zacchariah and Elizabeth, and others for the chapel of San Giovanni Battista in

Genoa Cathedral Genoa Cathedral or Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Lawrence ( it, Duomo di Genova, ''Cattedrale di San Lorenzo'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Italian city of Genoa. It is dedicated to Saint Lawrence (San Lorenzo), and is the seat of th ...

.R. Soprani and CG. Ratti. He is mentioned with the name of ''Matteo Civitali'' by

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 ...

in his biography of

Jacopo della Quercia Jacopo della Quercia (, ; 20 October 1438), also known as Jacopo di Pietro d'Agnolo di Guarnieri, was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance, a contemporary of Brunelleschi, Ghiberti and Donatello. He is considered a precursor of Michelangelo. ...

, and appears to have taken up the art of sculpture at the age of 40 years, after years of practicing as a "barber" (surgeon). While considered to be the most important marble sculptor outside Florence during the second half of the fifteenth century, historical evidence pointed to Civitali's activity as a painter as well. However, no painting could firmly be identified to him until the discovery of an original contract by Roberto Ciardi in 1997 for a triptych for the Church of San Michele di Antraccoli,which was formerly ascribed to the Master of Benabbio. The contract revealed that both Civitali and Baldassare di Biagio were commissioned to complete the altarpiece. Civitali's freestanding chapel, the ''"tempietto"'', built in 1484 to enshrine the

Holy Face of Lucca The Holy Face of Lucca ( it, Volto Santo di Lucca) is an , ancient wooden carving of Christ crucified in Lucca, Italy. Medieval legends state that it was sculpted by Nicodemus who assisted St. Joseph of Arimathea in placing Christ in his tomb aft ...

, stands in the left nave of the Cathedral of San Martino, Lucca. The Duomo contains also a virtual anthology of Matteo's sculpture, since he worked at the San Romano Altar, and also sculpted the statue of St Sebastian in the back of the Holy Face Shrine, and two monumental graves in the right transept. Lucques-Cathedrale-Le tempietto

The relief of Faith (now in the National Museum of Florence, Italy) was originally the first segment part of Hope and Love, a triple relief. This marble figure of Faith was acquired by the

Uffizi Gallery The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...

in 1830 from the prior of a church at Paterno near Florence. This piece of work existed in the church of San Michele in Foro, Lucca. Matteo Civitali died on 12 October 1501. His son

Nicolao Civitali Nicolao Civitali (1482 - after 1560) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect, active in his native Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. ...

as a sculptor and architect in Lucca.

References and sources

References

Sources

"Matteo Civitali and his time"
Exhibition, Villa Guinigi, Lucca, 2004. *Triptych of
The Virgin and Child with Saints
' attributed to Matteo Civitali and Baldassarre di Biagio is in the collection of the Museum & Gallery, Inc. in Greenville, SC. *Harms, Martina, ''Matteo Civitali, Bildhauer der Fruhrenaissance in Lucca'' (Beitrage zur Kunstgeschichte des Mittelalters und der Renaissance, 1) Münster: Rhema-Verlag, 1995. . Comprehensive monograph. *

External links

Italian Renaissance architects Italian Renaissance sculptors 1436 births 1502 deaths Architects from Lucca Artists from Lucca 15th-century Italian architects 15th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors Catholic sculptors {{Italy-sculptor-stub