Sansovino, Andrea

Sansovino, Andrea (ändrĕ`ä sänsōvē`nō), c.1460–1529, Florentine sculptor and architect of the High Renaissance, b. Monte Sansavino. His real name was Andrea Contucci. He trained under Antonio Pollaiuolo and worked in Florence, Rome, and Loreto. His tombs of Cardinals Sforza and Basso in Rome and his statues and reliefs for church decoration, such as the graceful Virgin and Child with St. Anne (1512) at San Agostino, were greatly admired.

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Sansovino, Andrea

 orig. Andrea Contucci

(born c. 1467, Monte San Savino, Republic of Florence—died 1529, Monte San Savino) Italian sculptor. The fine detail and high emotional pitch of his marble Altar of the Sacrament in Florence's Santo Spirito (1485–90) typify his early work; his marble Baptism of Christ (1502), above one of the Baptistery doors in Florence, marks a shift to High Renaissance style with its dignified poses and strong but controlled emotion. His tombs for two cardinals in Rome's Santa Maria del Popolo (completed 1509) were his most influential innovation, with their triumphal-arch form and the novel sleeping attitude of the deceased cardinals. His works display the transition from early to High Renaissance, and his graceful style acted as a counterbalance to Michelangelo's titanic, muscular sculpture throughout the 16th century.