Bartolomeo Ammannati facts for kids
Bartolomeo Ammannati (born June 18, 1511 – died April 13, 1592) was a talented Italian architect and sculptor. He was born in Settignano, a town near Florence, Italy. Bartolomeo learned his skills from famous artists like Baccio Bandinelli and Jacopo Sansovino. He even helped Sansovino design the Library of St. Mark's in Venice. Ammannati's style was very similar to the great Michelangelo.
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A Master of Architecture
Bartolomeo Ammannati was especially good at architecture, which is the art of designing buildings. He worked in Rome with other well-known architects such as Vignola and Vasari. Together, they designed parts of the Villa Giulia. He also worked on projects in Lucca.
Expanding the Pitti Palace
One of Ammannati's biggest projects was making the Pitti Palace in Florence much larger. From 1558 to 1570, he worked on adding new parts to the palace. He created a beautiful courtyard with three wings, which are sections of a building. This courtyard had a special look with rough-cut stone, and a lower archway that led to the amphitheater in the Boboli Gardens. His design for the courtyard matched the outside of the main palace building.
Bartolomeo Ammannati was also named a Consul of the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence. This important art academy was started by Duke Cosimo I in 1563.
The Ponte Santa Trinita
In 1569, Ammannati was asked to build the Ponte Santa Trinita, a bridge over the Arno River in Florence. This bridge had three unique, curved arches. Even though it looked very light and elegant, it was strong enough to survive floods that damaged other bridges on the Arno River over time. Sadly, the Santa Trinita bridge was destroyed in 1944 during World War II. It was later rebuilt in 1957, looking just like Ammannati's original design.
Famous Sculptures
Ammannati also created important sculptures. One of his most famous works is the Fountain of Neptune (Fontana del Nettuno). This large fountain is a key landmark in the Piazza della Signoria in the center of Florence.
The Fountain of Neptune
The job to build the Fountain of Neptune was first given to an older artist, Bartolommeo Bandinelli. But when Bandinelli passed away, Ammannati's design was chosen over those from other famous artists like Benvenuto Cellini.
From 1563 to 1565, Ammannati and his helpers, including Giambologna, carved the huge marble block for the main statue. Ammannati used Grand Duke Cosimo I as a model for Neptune's face. The statue was meant to show Cosimo's dream of creating a strong navy for Florence.
The large statue of the sea god was placed near the Palazzo Vecchio, close to Michelangelo's famous David statue. It is said that Michelangelo, who was 87 years old at the time, joked about Ammannati's work. He supposedly said that Ammannati had ruined a beautiful piece of marble!
Ammannati continued to work on this fountain for ten more years. He added many other figures around the main statue. These included bronze statues of river gods, playful satyrs, and marble sea horses that seemed to rise from the water.
Personal Life
In 1550, Bartolomeo Ammannati married Laura Battiferri. She was a very smart and talented poet. Later in his life, Ammannati became very religious. Because of his strong beliefs, he decided to give all his belongings to the Jesuits, a religious group.
Bartolomeo Ammannati died in Florence in 1592.
Images for kids
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The Jesuit College in Rome, 1582–84, was one of Ammannati's later designs
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Dragon
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Parco di Villa Reale di Castello (Villa di Castello) Fountain of January (Fontana del Gennaio) in Florence Italy
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Justice
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Christ and Canaanite woman by Alessandro Allori. Commissioned by Ammannati for funeral of his wife poet Laura Battiferri (painted as old woman with the book).
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See also
In Spanish: Bartolomeo Ammannati para niños
