Bartolomeo Ammannati
Who was Bartolomeo Ammannati?
Italian architect and sculptor (1511-1592)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Bartolomeo Ammannati (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Bartolomeo Ammannati (18 June 1511 – 13 April 1592) was an Italian architect and sculptor from Settignano, near Florence. He trained with Baccio Bandinelli and Jacopo Sansovino and helped design the Library of St. Mark's, the Biblioteca Marciana, in Venice. Learning from these teachers shaped his style, aligning it with Michelangelo, who influenced much of his work.
Ammannati was more successful in architecture than in sculpture, though he produced notable pieces in both. In Rome, he worked with Vignola and Giorgio Vasari on the Villa Giulia, a suburban retreat for Pope Julius III. His work in Lucca extended his fame beyond Florence and Rome. Between 1558 and 1570, he significantly renovated the Pitti Palace in Florence, adding a courtyard with three wings featuring rusticated facades and a portico leading to the amphitheater in the Boboli Gardens. This design complemented the palace's main facade, creating a cohesive look that became a key feature of the complex.
In 1569, Ammannati was commissioned to build the Ponte Santa Trinita, a bridge over the Arno River in Florence. Its three elliptical arches were not only elegant but also durable, surviving floods that destroyed other bridges. The bridge was demolished in 1944 during World War II but was carefully reconstructed in 1957 using original stone fragments from the river. Ammannati also designed the Fountain of Neptune in Piazza della Signoria. Initially, the project was given to Bartolommeo Bandinelli, but after Bandinelli's death, Ammannati's design was chosen over those of Benvenuto Cellini and Vincenzo Danti. Between 1563 and 1565, Ammannati and his team, including the young Giambologna, carved the large marble block initially chosen by Bandinelli. Neptune's face was modeled after Grand Duke Cosimo I, and the fountain symbolized Cosimo's vision for a Florentine naval force.
Alongside these major projects, Ammannati was named Consul of the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence, founded by Duke Cosimo I in 1563. He was married to poet Laura Battiferri, a prominent literary figure. Among his sculptural works are the Descent from the Cross, the Fountain of Sala Grande, the Fountain of January, the statue of Ganymede on the Eagle, and the group of Heracles and Antaeus. In his later years, Ammannati became more religious and regretted the nudity in some of his sculptures, a response to the broader Counter-Reformation in late sixteenth-century Italy. He died in Florence on 13 April 1592.
Before Fame
Bartolomeo Ammannati was born in 1511 in Settignano, a small town near Florence known for its stonecutters and sculptors. The area had already produced notable figures like Desiderio da Settignano, and the local culture made it easy for Ammannati to start his artistic training. He joined the workshop of Baccio Bandinelli, a leading sculptor in Florence at the time, where he learned the basics of marble carving and creating monumental figures.
His career expanded significantly when he worked with Jacopo Sansovino in Venice, helping design the Biblioteca Marciana. This experience exposed him to combining architecture with sculptural decoration on a large civic scale. Through Sansovino, he learned High Renaissance design and felt Michelangelo's influence, which was transforming Italian art in the early 1500s. These apprenticeships prepared him well for the architectural and sculptural projects that would mark his later career.
Key Achievements
- Designed and built the Ponte Santa Trinita over the Arno River in Florence, noted for its innovative elliptical arches
- Led the refurbishment and enlargement of Pitti Palace, including the creation of the rusticated courtyard connecting to the Boboli Gardens
- Won the commission for the Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza della Signoria, surpassing Cellini and Danti in competition
- Contributed to the design of the Villa Giulia in Rome in collaboration with Vignola and Vasari
- Served as Consul of the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, Florence, founded by Cosimo I in 1563
Did You Know?
- 01.Ammannati's Ponte Santa Trinita, blown up by retreating German forces in 1944, was reconstructed in 1957 using original stone blocks retrieved from the bed of the Arno River.
- 02.He modeled the face of Neptune in his famous Piazza della Signoria fountain on Grand Duke Cosimo I of Tuscany, intending the work to celebrate Cosimo's naval ambitions.
- 03.Ammannati's design for the Fountain of Neptune beat out submissions from celebrated rivals Benvenuto Cellini and Vincenzo Danti after the original commissioner, Bartolommeo Bandinelli, died before the work could begin.
- 04.In his later years, influenced by Counter-Reformation piety, Ammannati wrote a letter to the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno expressing remorse for having created sculptures that depicted the human figure without clothing.
- 05.His wife, Laura Battiferri, was a respected poet whose portrait was painted by Bronzino, making theirs one of the more artistically distinguished marriages in sixteenth-century Florence.