A term used to describe ceiling or wall painting that uses fictitious architecture rendered in perspective to arrange coherently the image’s figural and compositional elements, and extend visually the existing space. Examples are the Farnese ceiling (c. 1597–1600) in the Palazzo Farnese, Rome, by Annibale Carracci, which includes fictive lintels adorned with shelled motifs and supported by herms in grisaille, and Pietro da Cortona’s Glorification of the Reign of Urban VIII (1633–1639) in the Palazzo Barberini, Rome, where a large painted architectural framework with a medallion at each corner divides the image into five separate scenes.
A ceiling fresco made to look like framed paintings that have been installed overhead. In using this technique, the artist renders the scenes following the rules of perspective normally applied to easel paintings. The Farnese ceiling (c. 1597–1600) in the Palazzo Farnese, Rome, and Guido Reni’s Aurora (1613; Rome, Casino Rospigliosi) use this technique.
An ornamental shape with four lobes, common to Gothic architectural or sculptural decoration. In the Renaissance, the quatrefoil design persisted in some regions until the 15th century. In Venice, the Doge’s Palace (1340–1438) includes them as ornamentation in its upper arcade, while in Florence the quatrefoil appears on the east doors (1403–1424) of the Baptistery of Florence, used by Lorenzo Ghiberti as the background fields for his biblical scenes.
An architectural treatise written by Andrea Palladio that synthesizes the ideas on architecture expounded by Leon Battista Alberti and Vitruvius. The first book covers the rudiments of architecture and the classical orders. The second deals with domestic design and is based almost entirely on the villas and palaces Palladio built for the nobility in his hometown of Vincenza. The third book tackles public works, including roads and bridges, while the fourth is on ancient Roman architecture. Palladio’s treatise, especially book two, exerted tremendous influence on the development of architecture in Italy and elsewhere. Inigo Jones, who studied Palladio’s designs, is credited with introducing Palladianism to England. His Banqueting House (1619–1622) in Whitehall Palace is, in fact, based on Palladio’s design for the Palazzo Thiene in Vincenza, illustrated in the treatise.
The most important sculptor of the Sienese School. Jacopo’s father was a goldsmith and woodcarver from the town of Quercia, near Siena, from whom he received his training. In 1401, Jacopo is documented as one of the participants in the competition for the east doors of the Baptistery of Florence. In 1414–1419, he was working on the Fonte Gaia, a fountain in the Piazza del Campo, Siena, that included Virtues and scenes from the story of Creation. The fountain was modified in the 19th century, and Jacopo’s contributions, now in the Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, are in deplorable condition. In c. 1417, Jacopo collaborated with Donatello and Lorenzo Ghiberti on the font for the Siena Baptistery, and from 1425 to 1438, he was in Bologna, working on panel reliefs for the main portal of San Petronio, which depict scenes from the Book of Genesis. These had an impact on Michelangelo, who based some of his scenes on the Sistine ceiling (1508–1512; Vatican, Sistine Chapel) on Jacopo’s reliefs. The muscular, classicized nudes in complex poses, the compositional arrangements, and the emotive content in Jacopo’s works are elements Michelangelo adopted for himself.