About the Artist

Antonio del Pollaiuolo (1431 Florence-1498 Rome) began his career as a goldsmith. He turned to painting around 1460 along with his brother, Piero Pollaiuolo, who was a member of a communal workshop. From 1484 on Antonio resided in Rome, where he designed the bronze grave markers for Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484) in St. Peter's, and then advanced to become the most important sculptor of the Quattrocento. As a painter, Pollaiuolo concentrated on frescoes and panel paintings. His style is characterized by a strong movement of forms and clear lines. The multifaceted Pollaiuolo was one of the first Italian artists of the early Renaissance to do copper engravings, among them an anatomical study depicting two nude men struggling with each other completed in 1475. Other major works by the artist include Wall Fresco with Dancers, c. 1460, Villa Lanfredini Arcetri near Florece; Hercules and the Hydra, c. 1465, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence; and The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, 1475, The National Gallery, London.