Guido Mazzoni (sculptor)

Guido Mazzoni (c. 1445 – 1518, active 1473-1518) was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance period.

Biography

Guido Mazzoni was born in Modena and first became active in the city of Modena, then ruled by the Este family of Ferrara. His work first enters records in 1473 when he is said to have made theatrical masks and props for the Duke of Ferrara's wedding. He is known to have continued this throughout his career, but is most famous for his ultra-realistic terracotta sculpture.

Mazzoni's best known works are a "Lamentation" [ Originally for the church of Santa Maria della Rosa in Modena.] now in Ferrara's Gesù, and another in the church of Sant'Anna dei Lombardi in Naples. These works in terracotta are highly realistic, and represent emotive mourners gathered around the dead Christ. Each character is a portrait of either the donor or a relative of the donor; in the Modena "Lamentation", for instance, Ercole I d'Este is Nicodemus and his wife Eleonora as Maria di Cleofa. In the Neapolitan piece, Alfonso II is Joseph of Arimathea. It seems probable that Mazzoni's background in theatrical masks and props affected his work, because of the staged melodrama in their gestures and expressions. One attractive theory is that they relate to the annual passion play, in which these notable figures may have played some part.

Terracotta sculpture is often dismissed by Renaissance scholars because the medium was a cheaper and less important material in comparison to the bronze and marble from which the more celebrated works were created. However in Mazzoni's native region there was no native source of stone and therefore painted terracotta was prevalent.

In the more prestigious artistic centre of Florence the Della Robbia family became famous for their distinctive blue and white glazed terracotta work, which was highly skillfully made yet provided relatively cheap decoration. Most closely related to the work of Mazzoni, however, is that of Niccolò dell'Arca, who operated in Bologna. He also made scenes of the lamentation, but his show an expressionist style, as the figures display an exaggerated sense of movement and drama. Mazzoni's figures are far more realistic and their movements and gestures are more restrained.

Mazzoni's work was well-respected by his contemporaries, and he was granted tax exemption in 1481. He soon attracted the attention of the outside world, when in 1489 he was asked by the aforementioned Alfonso of Aragon, brother-in law to Ercole, to carry out some work in his lands. In 1495 he became one of the first Italian artists to move to the court of Charles VIII of France in 1495, where he was also knighted. The French court became increasingly keen on Italian artists and afterwards began luring many more.

Guido Mazzoni is thus a much overlooked artist of the period. His art is beautifully crafted and stunningly realistic, and he was sought after by some of the most powerful men of his age. This lack of interest in him can only be put down to the fact that he operated outside of the great centres of Florence, Venice and Rome. He was however a highly skilled and complex artist whose work not only has the power to move but is also full of symbolism. His medium of terracotta is similarly overlooked but it was easier to work with and thus produced a far more realistic finish than bronze or marble. Furthermore, as Alison Cole points out in her study of the Italian Renaissance Courts, it had a biblical symbolism as 'men are "no more than mortal clay"'. It is therefore possible to conclude that Mazzoni was a highly important artist of his period, both in terms of the skill of his art and the historical significance of his life.

References

*cite book|first=Alison |last=Cole|title=Art of the Italian Renaissance Courts
*cite book|first=Roberta J. M.|last= Olsen|title=Italian Renaissance Sculpture

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/m/mazzoni/guido/index.html Page at www.wga.hu]