Bartolomeo Ammanati

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Bartolomeo Ammanati (June 18, 1511 - April 13, 1592) was a Florentine architect and sculptor.

[edit] Biography

Ammanati was born at Settignano, near Florence. He studied under Baccio Bandinelli and Jacopo Sansovino (assisting on the Library of St. Mark's, the Biblioteca Marciana, Venice) and closely imitated the style of Michelangelo.

He was more distinguished in architecture than in sculpture. He designed many buildings in Rome, which included work at the Villa Giulia complex (in collaboration with Vignola and Vasari), also at Lucca and Florence. His work at the completion of Pitti Palace, commissioned by Eleonora of Toleda, wife of Cosimo I, is one of his most celebrated achievements (1558-1570), respecting the original style of Filippo Brunelleschi.

He was also employed in 1569 to build the beautiful bridge over the Arno, known as Ponte della Trinità and one of his most celebrated works. The three arches are elliptic, and though very light and elegant, have resisted the fury of the river, which has swept away several other bridges at different times. It was destroyed in 1944, during World War II, and rebuilt in 1957.

Fountain of Neptune
Fountain of Neptune

Another of his most important works was the marble and bronze fountain of Neptune for the Piazza della Signoria. The assignment was originally given to the ageing Bartolommeo Bandinelli. On his death, Ammanati won the competition for the continuing of this assignment over other famous sculptors, such as Benvenuto Cellini and Vincenzo Danti. He worked between 1563 and 1565 on the original block of marble (chosen by Bandinelli), together with his assistants, among which Giambologna. He took Grand Duke Cosimo I as model for Neptune's face. When the work on the ungainly sea god was finished, Michelangelo scoffed at Ammanati that he had ruined a beautiful piece of marble. In fact, the piece was so universally disliked (even to this day) that the saying was: "Ammanati, Ammanato, che bell' marmo hai rovinato!" Translated: Ammanati, Ammanato, what a nice piece of marble you've ruined! Ammanati continued working on this fountain for another ten years, adding, in a mannerist style, around the perimeter suave bronze reclining river gods, laughing satyrs and marble sea horses emerging from the water. The whole gives nevertheless a coherent impression. The fountain served as an example for future fountain-makers.

Other famous sculptures by Ammanati include:

  • the marble statue Victory (1540), Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence
  • the marble statue Leda with the Swan in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence.
  • the marble statue Parnassus (1563), Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence
  • the stone statue Allegory of Winter (1563-65), Villa Medici, Castello
  • the bronze statue Goddess Opi (1572-75), Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

In 1550 Ammanati married Laura Battiferri, an elegant poet and an accomplished woman. Later in his life he had a religious crisis, influenced by Counter-Reformation piety, which resulted in condemning his own works depicting nudity, and he left all his possessions to the Jesuits.

He died in Florence in 1592.

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