Jacopo Sansovino

Jacopo was a famous artist.

He was born in a land called Italy. He made things out of stone. He also designed many big buildings.

He lived and worked in Venice. He made a grand library there. This library has many pretty decorations.

He also made a small building by a tall tower.

Jacopo was a very important leader. He helped change how buildings looked. People still love his art today.

Jacopo Sansovino was a great artist from Italy.

He was a sculptor and an architect. This means he carved stone and designed big buildings. He was born in Florence. He learned his craft from Andrea Sansovino. He took that name for himself.

Jacopo moved to Venice in the 1500s. He became a top leader for the city. He earned a good salary and a home. He made many famous things in Venice. He worked on the Zecca, which is a place to make money. He also made the Loggetta.

This is a small, pretty building near a tall tower.

His best work is the Biblioteca Marciana. This is a large library near the Doge's Palace. It took fifty years to build. It cost more than 30,000 ducats. People say it is a very beautiful building. He used classic styles but added lots of decoration. This helped other architects later. Jacopo died in Venice. His tomb is in a special place in St. Mark's Basilica.

Jacopo Sansovino was a famous Italian artist. He worked as a sculptor and an architect.

He was born in Florence on July 2, 1486. He learned his skills from Andrea Sansovino. Jacopo eventually took that name for himself. He was very good at making things out of stone. His work changed how buildings looked in Venice. People still visit his sites today.

Sansovino had many ways of working. He made small wax models to show his ideas.

Around 1510, he made wax copies of the Laocoön. This is a famous ancient statue. The artist Raphael thought Sansovino's copy was the best. He also made marble statues of saints. He worked in a studio with a painter named Andrea del Sarto. They even shared their models with each other.

His career moved from Florence to Rome and finally to Venice. In Florence, he made a statue of Bacchus. He also tried to design a church called San Lorenzo. Michelangelo was in charge of that project. Michelangelo rejected his ideas for the church. This made Sansovino very upset. He even wrote a bitter letter about it. Later, he moved to Venice during the Sack of Rome.

In 1529, Sansovino became a leader in Venice. He was the chief architect for the Procurators of San Marco.

He received a salary of 80 ducats. Soon, his pay rose to 180 ducats every year. He lived in an apartment near the clocktower. He built the Zecca, which is a public mint. He also worked on the Loggetta near the tall campanile tower.

His greatest work is the Biblioteca Marciana. This is a library in front of the Doge's Palace.

It took fifty years to finish building. The cost was over 30,000 ducats. He used a classic style of architecture. He added lots of decoration to please the people of Venice. This style helped the famous architect Andrea Palladio later. Sansovino died in 1570. His tomb is in the Baptistery of St. Mark's Basilica.

Jacopo Sansovino was a major figure of the Italian Renaissance. He worked as both a sculptor and an architect. His talent helped shape the look of Venice. He is most famous for his many works near Piazza San Marco. These buildings are vital to the history of Venetian Renaissance architecture. The famous architect Andrea Palladio even called Sansovino's Biblioteca Marciana the best building built since Antiquity.

Sansovino began his career in Florence, Italy. He was born on July 2, 1486. He started as an apprentice to Andrea Sansovino. He eventually adopted that name, changing it from his birth name, Jacopo Tatti. In Rome, he worked with wax models. He once made a wax model of the Deposition of Christ for the artist Perugino. Around 1510, the architect Bramante invited him to make wax copies of the Laocoön. This is a famous ancient sculpture. The great artist Raphael judged Sansovino's copy to be the best.

His early career included several important marble commissions. In Florence, he created a marble statue of St. James for the Duomo. He also sculpted a Bacchus, which is now held in the Bargello. However, not every project was a success. He proposed sculptures for the façade of the Church of San Lorenzo. Michelangelo was in charge of that project and rejected his ideas. Sansovino was so upset that he wrote a bitter letter of protest in 1518. During the years 1510 to 1517, he also shared a studio with the painter Andrea del Sarto. They even shared their artistic models with one another.

Sansovino's life took a major turn when he moved to Venice. He left Rome during the year of the Sack of Rome. In 1529, he received a very important job. He became the chief architect and superintendent of properties for the Procurators of San Marco. This role is known as the Protomaestro or Proto. This position made him one of the most influential artists in the city. His new job came with a salary of 80 ducats. He also received an apartment near the clocktower in San Marco. Within just one year, his salary increased to 180 ducats per year.

As the Proto, Sansovino completed many prominent structures. He worked on the Zecca, which is a public mint. He also designed the highly decorated Loggetta. This structure sits next to the Campanile tower.

He created many statues and reliefs for the Basilica of San Marco. His work also included rebuilding several churches. These included San Zulian, San Francesco della Vigna, San Martino, and the church of the Incurabili. He even worked on the Santo Spirito in Isola. He also helped design various palaces, such as Palazzo Corner and Palazzo Dolfin Manin.

His undisputed masterpiece is the Biblioteca Marciana. This is the Library of Saint Mark's. It is located in front of the Doge's Palace across the piazzetta.

The construction of this library was a massive undertaking. It spanned fifty years to complete. The total cost was over 30,000 ducats. Sansovino used the language of classicism in this building. Classicism is an architectural style often known for being severe and restrained. However, Sansovino added rich surface decoration. This made the style more appealing to the people of Venice. This approach paved the way for the graceful architecture of Andrea Palladio.

Sansovino left a lasting legacy through his students and his tomb. His most important follower in sculpture was Alessandro Vittoria. Another disciple was the architect and sculptor Danese Cattaneo. Sansovino died in Venice on November 27, 1570. His tomb can be found in the Baptistery of St. Mark's Basilica. His life shows how an artist can move between different cities and roles to change the history of art forever.