Jacopo della Quercia
Italian sculptor of the Early Renaissance, transitional between Gothic and Renaissance.
Jacopo della Quercia was born around 1374 in a place called Quercia Grossa, near Siena. His father, Piero d'Angelo, worked as a woodcarver and goldsmith, and gave him his early training. In 1386, because of local political unrest, father and son moved to Lucca. Della Quercia likely saw the pulpit by Nicola Pisano in Siena’s cathedral and works by Arnolfo di Cambio, both of which influenced him. He probably also studied the large collection of Roman sculptures and sarcophagi in Pisa’s Camposanto. These experiences helped make him a transitional artist: his style moved noticeably from Gothic to Renaissance around the middle of his career, possibly because of contact with Donatello.
His first known work may have been a wooden equestrian statue for the funeral of Azzo Ubaldini, done when he was sixteen. Other early pieces attributed to him include a Man of Sorrows on the Altar of the Sacrament in Lucca Cathedral and a relief on the Tomb of St. Aniello, though these are disputed. In 1401 he entered the competition for the bronze doors of Florence’s Baptistery but lost to Ghiberti; the location of his entry is unknown.
In 1403 he carved a marble Virgin and Child for Ferrara Cathedral. A possible work from his time in Ferrara is a statuette of St. Maurelius; both are now in the Museo del Duomo. Back in Lucca in 1406, the city’s ruler, Paolo Guinigi, hired him to start work on the tomb of his second wife, Ilaria del Carretto, in Lucca Cathedral. The woman lies on top of the sarcophagus, richly dressed and delicately carved in a Gothic style, with a dog at her feet symbolizing marital fidelity. But the use of nude putti on the sides of the tomb clearly shows the influence of Roman sarcophagi from Pisa’s Camposanto—an early sign of the coming Renaissance.
In 1406 he was also asked to build a new fountain in Siena’s Piazza del Campo, replacing an older one with a statue of Venus. That pagan statue had been blamed for an outbreak of the Black Plague, so it was destroyed and buried outside the city walls. The commission shows he was already seen as Siena’s leading sculptor. The rectangular fountain, made of white marble and dedicated to the Virgin, was decorated on three sides with many statues and multiple spouts. Because he took on other jobs at the same time, progress was slow: he started in 1414 and finished only in 1419. He carved the panels in the cathedral’s wo
- born
- c. 1374, Quercia Grossa (now Quercegrossa), near Siena, Tuscany
- died
- 20 October 1438, Siena
- field
- Sculpture
- nationality
- Italian
- known_for
- Porta Magna of San Petronio in Bologna; Fonte Gaia in Siena; Tomb of Ilaria del Carretto
Lore & Background
Jacopo della Quercia took his name from Quercia Grossa, a place near Siena where he was born in 1374. He received early training from his father, a woodcarver and goldsmith. In 1386 he and his father moved to Lucca due to party strife. He likely studied the pulpit in Siena Cathedral by Nicola Pisano, works of Arnolfo di Cambio, and the collection of Roman sculptures in the Camposanto in Pisa. In 1401 he entered the competition to design the bronze doors for Florence's Baptistery but lost to Ghiberti; the entry's whereabouts are unknown.
In 1406 he received the commission for the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto in Lucca Cathedral, where the richly dressed woman rests on the sarcophagus with a dog at her feet, while nude putti on the flanks show classical influence. That same year he was asked to build a new fountain in Siena's Piazza del Campo, the Fonte Gaia, completed in 1419. In 1413 he was accused of theft, rape, and sodomy and fled to Siena; he returned to Lucca in 1416 under safe conduct. In 1425 he accepted the commission for the Porta Magna of San Petronio in Bologna, considered his masterwork, which occupied him for the last thirteen years of his life.
Reader's Guide
Jacopo della Quercia's significance lies in his role as a transitional figure bridging the Gothic and Renaissance styles. His work on the Fonte Gaia and the Porta Magna in Bologna introduced classical elements—such as nude putti and Old Testament scenes—that anticipated the full Renaissance. Michelangelo acknowledged that his Genesis on the Sistine Chapel ceiling was based on della Quercia's reliefs at San Petronio. Della Quercia was held in high esteem by contemporaries including Ghiberti, Filarete, and Giovanni Santi, and Giorgio Vasari included a biography of him in his Lives of the Artists. His legacy is preserved in major works across Siena, Lucca, Ferrara, and Bologna, though some attributions remain uncertain due to the activity of his workshop.
Did You Know?
- Jacopo della Quercia lost the 1401 competition for the bronze doors of Florence's Baptistery to Ghiberti; the entry's whereabouts are unknown.
- He was accused in 1413 of theft, rape, and sodomy, fled to Siena, and only returned to Lucca in 1416 under a letter of safe conduct.
- The Fonte Gaia in Siena was so named because of the joy and festivities when it was brought into operation.
- Michelangelo conceded that his Genesis on the Sistine Chapel ceiling was based on della Quercia's reliefs on the Porta Magna in Bologna.
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