Renaissance Sculpture

 Renaissance Sculpture is varied and very often executed on a grand scale. You can see (in person) some of the sculpture produced in the Renaissance and lots of it without having to pay an entrance fee to a museum or gallery.

There are several fine examples in Florence. (Michelangelo's David being one of these). St Peters in Rome has work by Bernini and Michelangelo, and the gilded bronze papal alter is a must see.

 The square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence is known as the Piazza della Signoria. This and the surrounding area is packed with several excellent works and, best of all, you don't pay an admission fee to view them.

 Some of the greatest early Renaissance Sculpture was created by the artists Donatello, Gilberti and Leonardo's master Verrocchio. Click on the link to view their work. Early Masterpieces

The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna (1574-82), Florence. (p)

The original is now in the Galleria dell' Academia. In the background you can see Giambologna's....

Hercules and the Centaur Nessus (1599). (w)

What a fantastic photo, taken by Ricardo André Frantz.

Michelangelo Buonarroti was the greatest sculptor of the sixteenth century, and one of the greatest of all time. Michelangelo's renaissance sculptures. deserve their own page, click on the link to see his work. Michelangelo's Sculptures Michelagelo's bust of Brutus c.1542. Bargello Museum, Florence. (s)

 The Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati 1563/1565. (p)

 I managed to snap this image (and the one bellow) without any tourists getting in the way! A feat in itself in crowded Florence.

 Ammannati is more famous for his arcitecture than any of his sculptures, but he did admire the work of Michelangelo. The Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo I de' Medici was the model for the face of Neptune, unfortunatly Michelangelo taunted Ammannati on the finished work stating that he had ruined a beautiful piece of marble!!!

 (Sorry Michelangelo, I think this is a powerful sculpture, executed with skill and  dedication by a fine artist.)

Benvenuto Cellini's statue Perseus With the Head of Medusa in The Loggia dei Lanzi gallery on the edge of the Piazza della Signoria, Florence. (1545-1554) p

This is a great work! Cellini was influenced by Michelangelo's sculptures and this fine piece of art, cast in bronze, took ten years to complete.