Death in Venice? Sculptor Tullio Lombardo died on 17 November 1532. Renowned for his artful interpretations of classical themes and the human figure, Tullio Lombardo is often credited with having breathed new life into Venetian Renaissance sculpture of the late 15th century.
Training with his father, Pietro, Tullio also worked alongside his younger brother, Antonio, to develop one of the most popular sculptural workshops in the Italian lagoon city. Tullio’s work, which was featured through a remarkable range of commissions, reflected his indebtedness to the past as well as his incredible skill in rendering the meticulous and delicate features of his subjects.
Lombardo’s Adam was recently the focus of an intense restoration at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and was featured in their exhibition “Tullio Lombardo’s ADAM: Masterpiece Restored” (11 November 2014-14 June 2015).
Further reading: Alison Lucas and Adriana Augusti Ruggeri. Tullio Lombardo and Venetian High Renaissance Sculpture (Washington: National Gallery of Art, 2009).
Detail of Adam, c. 1490-1495. marble. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Adam, c. 1490-1495, marble. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Coronation of the Virgin, 1500. marble. San Giovanni Crisostomo, Venice.
Presumed Self-Portrait with his Wife in an Ancient Guise, 1490-1510, marble. Galleria Franchetti, Ca’ d’ora, Venice.
Christ the Redeemer, 1500-1520, marble. Kimball Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas.
A Young Warrior, early 16th century, marble. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.