Benedetto da Maiano. A Florentine Sculptor at the Threshold of the High Renaissance

Distinguished by the aesthetic quality of his works and the significance of his patrons, Benedetto da Maiano (1442-1497) is one of the most important Italian sculptors in the fifteenth century. As the teacher of Michelangelo he paved the way for the High Renaissance Sculpture. However, his importance has not yet been realized at all. The special contribution of this monograph is that it covers the entire career of this neglected artists, as far as we know it, and includes not only a study of the style and the meaning of his works but also investigates their historical and political contexts. A number of works recently discovered by the author are presented for the first time; works which did not survive in their original form are reconstructed, and the hitherto unknown patrons of many of his works are identified. The publication, consisting of a text and an illustration volume, is based upon many new documents discovered by the author concerning the life of Benedetto, his estate, the workshop inventories, the commissions of his works and the way they were realized. These documents contribute to a new picture not only of the artistic development and the social context of the artist, but as well to Florentine art in the Quattrocento in general.