Artibus et Historiae no. 76 (XXXVIII)2017, ISSN 0391-9064
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SHELLEY E. ZURAW - An Axis for Quattrocento Tomb Design: From Florence to Venice, Naples, and Rome (pp. 129–143)
The development of the monumental marble tomb in fifteenth-century Italy reveals extraordinary cross-pollination between cities, artists and patrons. By considering the movement of Florentine sculptors, their works and their designs, this paper isolates some key moments in the exchange. Ideas first articulated in Florence migrated to Venice and Naples and Rome. The desire for Florentine-style tombs in each of these cities suggests an aesthetic choice. Florentine tombs, like other sculptures identified as Florentine in origin, became increasingly popular over the course of the fifteenth century. The practicalities associated with erecting a Florentine-style tomb led to three different means of transfer: artists traveled to and from Florence, carrying knowledge of tombs they saw in that city to other places; the tombs were carved in Florence and then shipped from there to cities across Italy and, finally, artists provided drawings that were employed by local sculptors in the creation of tombs that deliberately evoked Florentine types. This process was replaced, at the end of the Quattrocento, with a new and equally fervent desire for Roman-style tombs.