Niccolò di Giovanni Fiorentino (Croatian: ''Nikola Firentinac'') called Nicolas of Florence (1418 in

Bagno a Ripoli Bagno a Ripoli is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence. The International School of Florence has its primary school campus in the comune.

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

), 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, active in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

. He is best known by his work on the

Šibenik Cathedral The Cathedral of St. James ( hr, Katedrala sv. Jakova) in Šibenik, Croatia is a triple-nave Catholic basilica with three apses and a dome (32 m high inside). It is the episcopal seat of the Šibenik diocese. It is also the most important architect ...

of St James, in 1455. After the death of

Giorgio da Sebenico Giorgio da Sebenico () or Giorgio Orsini or Juraj Dalmatinac (; c. 1410 – 10 October 1473) was a Venetian sculptor and architect from Dalmatia, who worked mainly in Sebenico (now Šibenik, Croatia), and in the city of Ancona, then a maritime ...

, Niccolò finished the cathedral and its original stone

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

, following the original plans of Giorgio. Cathedral of St

Before 1457 he probably worked with

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), better known as Donatello ( ), was a Republic of Florence, Florentine sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sculpture and use ...

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

, between 1457 and 1468 was active in Venice but moved after to Dalmatia where he worked until his death in 1506. Work on Šibenik cathedral inspired Niccolò for his work on the expansion of ''chapel of Blessed John from Trogir'' in 1468. Just like the Šibenik cathedral, it was composed of large stone blocks with extreme precision. In cooperation with a disciple of Giorgio,

Andrea Alessi Andrea Alessi ( sq, Andrea Nikollë Aleksi, hr, Andrija Aleši, 1425–1505) was an Albanian architect and sculptor born in Durazzo (Albania Veneta), considered one of the most distinguished artists of Dalmatia. Alessi was born in Durazzo (mod ...

, Niccolò achieved close harmony of architecture and sculpture according to antique ideals. From inside, there is no flat wall. In the middle of chapel, on the altar, lies the

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

of blessed John of Trogir. Surrounding this are reliefs of genies carrying torches as if peering out of the doors of the underworld. Above them there are niches with sculptures of Christ and the apostles, among of which are ''putti'', circular windows encircled with fruit garland, and a relief of Nativity. All feature a

coffered ceiling A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, also c ...

with an image of God in the middle and 96 portrait of angels' heads. With so many faces of smiling children, the chapel looks very cheerful, unlike other European art of that time.

References

External links

Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries.org: "European sculpture and metalwork"
(online PDF) — ''a collection catalog with material on Fiorentino (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fiorentino, Niccolo 1418 births 1506 deaths People from Bagno a Ripoli Italian Renaissance sculptors 15th-century Italian architects 15th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors

See also

References

External links