Origins & Early Life

Jacopo della Quercia (, Italian: [ˈjaːkopo della ˈkwɛrtʃa]; c. 1374 – 20 October 1438), also known as Jacopo di Pietro d'Agnolo di Guarnieri, was an Italian sculptor of the Early Renaissance, a contemporary of Brunelleschi, Ghiberti and Donatello. Jacopo della Quercia takes his name from Quercia Grossa (now Quercegrossa), a place near Siena, Tuscany, where he was born in 1374. He received his early training from his father, Piero d'Angelo, a woodcarver and goldsmith.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 1386 he and his father moved to Lucca, owing to party strife and disturbances. Jacopo della Quercia, must have seen the Pulpit in the cathedral of Siena by Nicola Pisano and works of Arnolfo di Cambio that must have influenced him. It is also likely that della Quercia studied the huge collection of Roman sculptures and sarcophagi in the Camposanto in Pisa. These and later influences made him a transitional figure in the history of European art; his work shows a pronounced mid-career shift from the Gothic style to that of the Italian Renaissance. As in the case of Ghiberti, this development probably results from exposure to his contemporary, Donatello.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

His first work may have been at the age of sixteen...

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