ROSSELLINO, ANTONIO

äntôˈnyō rōs-sĕl-lēˈnō, 1427–c.1478, Florentine sculptor, whose name was Antonio di Matteo di Domenico Gambarelli. He was the youngest and most celebrated of four brothers, of whom the eldest was the architect Bernardo Rossellino, who designed the Rucellai Palace and who carved the sculpture for Leonardo Bruni's tomb in Santa Croce, Florence. Antonio was well known for his tomb monuments. In such works as his monument to the cardinal of Portugal in San Miniato al Monte (Florence) and the tomb of Mary of Aragon (Naples), he created masterful combinations of sculpture and architecture. He carved vigorous portraits, such as those of Matteo Palmieri (Bargello Mus., Florence) and Giovanni Chellini (Victoria and Albert Mus., London). Rossellino also produced many picturesque reliefs, exemplified by the Nativity (Mt. Oliveto, Naples) and scenes for the cathedral pulpit at Prato. Two Madonnas in the Metropolitan Museum and the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York City, are ascribed to him as well.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

-41079-