Jacopo Sansovino
Florentine sculptor and architect of the Italian Renaissance.
Jacopo d'Antonio Sansovino was born in Florence on 2 July 1486, originally named Jacopo Tatti. He trained under Andrea Sansovino and later took that master's surname. Over his career, he worked as both a sculptor and architect across Florence, Rome, and the Republic of Venice, with his most significant output concentrated around Piazza San Marco. Andrea Palladio, in the preface to his *Quattro Libri*, judged Sansovino's Biblioteca Marciana the finest building erected since ancient times. Giorgio Vasari published Sansovino's biography as a separate pamphlet, a unique treatment among his *Lives*.
While residing in Rome at the palace of the late Cardinal Domenico della Rovere, Sansovino created a wax model of the Deposition of Christ for the painter Pietro Perugino. Around 1510, Bramante invited him and three other sculptors to produce wax copies of the *Laocoön*; Raphael considered Sansovino's version the best. Returning to Florence in 1511, he secured commissions for a marble statue of St. James for the Duomo and the *Bacchus* now in the Bargello. Michelangelo, however, rejected Sansovino's proposals for sculpture on the façade of San Lorenzo, prompting a bitter letter of protest in 1518. From 1510 to 1517, Sansovino shared a studio with the painter Andrea del Sarto, and they exchanged models. Like many sixteenth-century Italian architects, he designed elaborate temporary structures for court ceremonies, notably the triumphal entry of Pope Leo X into Florence in 1515. He then spent nine more years in Rome before departing for Venice in 1527, the year of the Sack of Rome.
In 1529, Sansovino was appointed chief architect and superintendent of properties—titled *Protomaestro* or *Proto*—for the Procurators of San Marco, a role that made him one of Venice's most influential artists. The position came with an annual salary of 80 ducats and an apartment on the south side of Piazza San Marco; within a year, his salary rose to 180 ducats. His principal achievements cluster near the piazza: the rusticated Zecca (public mint), the richly decorated Loggetta with its sculptures beside the Campanile, and various statues and reliefs for the Basilica of San Marco. He also helped rebuild churches such as San Zulian, San Francesco della Vigna, San Martino, San Geminiano (now destroyed), Santo Spirito in Isola, and the church of the Ospedale degli Incurabili. Among palaces a
- born
- 2 July 1486
- died
- 27 November 1570
- field
- Sculpture, architecture
- nationality
- Florentine
- known_for
- Biblioteca Marciana, Loggetta, Zecca, and other works around Piazza San Marco
Lore & Background
Sansovino was born in Florence as Jacopo Tatti and apprenticed with Andrea Sansovino, whose name he adopted. In Rome, he made a wax model of the Deposition of Christ for Pietro Perugino. Around 1510, Bramante invited him and three other sculptors to make wax copies of the Laocoön; Raphael judged Sansovino's copy the best. He returned to Florence in 1511, where he received commissions for marble sculptures of St. James for the Duomo and the Bacchus (now in the Bargello). His proposals for the Church of San Lorenzo were rejected by Michelangelo, to whom he wrote a bitter letter of protest in 1518. From 1510–17, he shared a studio with painter Andrea del Sarto. He left Rome for Venice in the year of the Sack of Rome (1527).
In 1529, Sansovino became chief architect and superintendent of properties to the Procurators of San Marco, with a salary of 80 ducats and an apartment on Piazza San Marco. His main achievements include the Zecca, the Loggetta and its sculptures, and various statues for the Basilica of San Marco. He helped rebuild churches such as San Zulian, San Francesco della Vigna, San Martino, San Geminiano (now destroyed), Santo Spirito in Isola, and the church of the Ospedale degli Incurabili. Among palaces and buildings are the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, Ca' de Dio, Palazzo Dolfin Manin, Palazzo Corner, Palazzo Moro, and the Fabbriche Nuove di Rialto.
Reader's Guide
Sansovino's significance lies in his role as a leading architect in Venice after the Sack of Rome, where he shaped the urban core around Piazza San Marco. His masterpiece, the Biblioteca Marciana, was praised by Andrea Palladio as the best building erected since Antiquity. Construction spanned fifty years and cost over 30,000 ducats. In it, Sansovino successfully adapted classical architectural language to Venetian tastes for surface decoration, paving the way for Palladio's graceful architecture. Giorgio Vasari uniquely printed his Vita of Sansovino separately, indicating his stature. His legacy includes influencing sculptors Alessandro Vittoria and Danese Cattaneo. He died in Venice and is buried in the Baptistery of St. Mark's Basilica.
Did You Know?
- Sansovino was born Jacopo Tatti and adopted the name of his master, Andrea Sansovino.
- Raphael judged Sansovino's wax copy of the Laocoön as the best among those made by four sculptors invited by Bramante.
- His proposals for sculpture at the Church of San Lorenzo were rejected by Michelangelo, prompting a bitter letter of protest in 1518.
- The Biblioteca Marciana took fifty years to build and cost over 30,000 ducats.
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