Skip to main content

Antico (Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi)

(Italian, ca. 1460−1528)
Place ActiveEurope
SchoolItalian
BiographyAntico’s life was centered in and around Mantua, where he worked for various members of the ruling Gonzaga family. Probably trained as a goldsmith, he earned a reputation for his knowledge of ancient art — and hence the nickname Antico — early in his career. He both restored antiques and purchased them for the Gonzagas, making more than one trip to Rome. But the chief justification for his sobriquet derived from his numerous small, elegantly finished bronze figures inspired by ancient marble sculptures, with subjects from classical myth and history. He also produced bronze busts with classical subjects, roundel reliefs, and portrait medals. After Mantegna’s death in 1506, Antico became artistic advisor to the wife of Marchese Francesco Gonzaga, Isabella d’Este.

Source: Art in The Frick Collection: Paintings, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996.
Closed for renovation
THE FRICK COLLECTION
1 East 70th Street
New York, NY 10021

Closed for renovation
FRICK ART RESEARCH LIBRARY
10 East 71st Street
New York, NY 10021

Permanently closed
FRICK MADISON
Copyright © 1998-2024 The Frick Collection. All Rights Reserved.
FacebookYoutubeInstagramTwitterGoogle Arts and Culturemenusearch2xX