Niccolò di Noferi del SodoGrosso (''fl. c.'' 1500), also known as ''Il Caparra'' for his habit of asking for payment in advance, was one of the few

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

ironsmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, grill ...

s that we can identify. Fleming, John &

Hugh Honour Hugh Honour FRSL (26 September 1927 – 19 May 2016) was a British art historian, known for his writing partnership with John Fleming (art historian), John Fleming. Their ''A World History of Art'' (a.k.a. ''The Visual Arts: A History''), is now ...

. (1977) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. '' London:

Allen Lane Sir Allen Lane (born Allen Lane Williams; 21 September 1902 – 7 July 1970) was a British publisher who together with his brothers Richard and John Lane founded Penguin Books in 1935, bringing high-quality paperback fiction and non-fictio ...

, p. 354. He was born 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 ...

and his most important works are on the exterior of

Palazzo Strozzi Palazzo Strozzi is a palace in Florence, Italy. History The construction of the palace was begun in 1489 by Benedetto da Maiano, for Filippo Strozzi the Elder, a rival of the Medici who had returned to the city in November 1466 and desired the ...

(the Strozzi Palace) there, even though those are just copies and the originals were moved. These include a lantern in the shape of a classical temple and stands for flag-poles and torches featuring elaborate imaginary animals. It is said that Messer Filippo Strozzi had found Grosso near the construction site selling onions, and hired him out of pity (even though Grosso was already a famous ironsmith). He also made the lanterns, torch-holders and iron rings on the floor of the Palazzo Sigre. Grosso was praised by

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 ...

as the best of ironsmiths."Grosso, Niccolò" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Renaissance'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, Oxford, 2003. Sometimes,

miniature A miniature is a small-scale reproduction, or a small version. It may refer to: * Portrait miniature, a miniature portrait painting * Miniature art, miniature painting, engraving and sculpture * Miniature (chess), a masterful chess game or problem ...

reproductions of Grosso's Lantern on the

can be found on the second hand market, many new designs are inspired by his original (which was probably a mixture of original influences).

Gallery

File:Niccolò Grosso Lantern.jpg, A

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

lantern of Grosso. File:Palazzo Strozzi, sconce by Caparra 01.JPG, A stand in the form of a

sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...

at the Palazzo Strozzi. File:Palazzo Medici Riccardi, anello del Caparra.JPG, A stand and a ring for horses at

Palazzo Medici Riccardi The Palazzo Medici, also called the Palazzo Medici Riccardi after the later family that acquired and expanded it, is a Renaissance palace located in Florence, Italy. It is the seat of the Metropolitan City of Florence and a museum. Overview T ...

. File:Exterieur van het atelier van Niccolò Grosso te Florence, RP-F-2001-7-564A-29.jpg, Atelier of Niccolò Grosso, Florence, c. 1880.

References

Italian blacksmiths 16th-century Italian businesspeople {{Italy-bio-stub