Giovanni da Maiano
Encyclopedia
Giovanni da Maiano was an Italian sculptor employed by Henry VIII of England
and Cardinal Wolsey to decorate their palaces. Maiano
, from which village Giovanni took his name, is near Fiesole
and Florence.
From 1527 Giovanni worked with Hans Holbein the Younger
on decorations at Greenwich Palace for Henry VIII. Some of his relief decorations for a temporary banqueting house were made with old linen cloth in a papier-mâché
technique. Edward Hall
described these decorations in his Chronicle; the windows of the banqueting house had grotesque-work
, "karved with vinettes and trailes of savage worke, and richly gilted with gold and bice
," on the arches at either end of the hall were made "many sundry antiques and devices." The engraved decoration of armour produced in the royal workshop at Greenwich
is thought to have been influenced by Giovanni's Italian renaissance style.
Giovanni began to work on a tomb for Wolsey with the Italian sculptor and bronze-founder, Benedetto da Rovezzano, but the project had to be abandoned after the Cardinal fell out of royal favour in 1529. The artist and biographer of artists, Giorgio Vasari
mentions the project under Benedetto's name, but thought the tomb was for Henry VIII.
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and Cardinal Wolsey to decorate their palaces. Maiano
Maiano
Maiano is small hilltop locality, now part of Fiesole, in Tuscany.The Chiesa di San Martino was founded there in the eleventh century and subsequently restored in the fifteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. A palagio existed at Maiano in the Middle Ages, but in 1467 it was destroyed in a...
, from which village Giovanni took his name, is near Fiesole
Fiesole
Fiesole is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a famously scenic height above Florence, 8 km NE of that city...
and Florence.
The Hampton Court medallions and Greenwich Palace
In June 1521, Giovanni wrote from Rome in Latin to Cardinal Wolsey requesting payment for his work at Hampton Court. He had made, painted, and gilded, eight terra-cotta medallions costing £2-6s-8d each, with three Stories of Hercules costing £4 each, with 20 shillings expense on fixing the sculptures. Some of these medallions commissioned by Wolsey can still be seen in place on the palace.From 1527 Giovanni worked with Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger was a German artist and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and made a significant contribution to the history...
on decorations at Greenwich Palace for Henry VIII. Some of his relief decorations for a temporary banqueting house were made with old linen cloth in a papier-mâché
Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
technique. Edward Hall
Edward Hall
Edward Hall , English chronicler and lawyer, was born about the end of the 15th century, being a son of John Hall of Northall, Shropshire....
described these decorations in his Chronicle; the windows of the banqueting house had grotesque-work
Grotesque
The word grotesque comes from the same Latin root as "Grotto", meaning a small cave or hollow. The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century...
, "karved with vinettes and trailes of savage worke, and richly gilted with gold and bice
Bice
Bice, from the French bis, a word of doubtful origin, originally meaning dark-coloured, was a term applied in English to particular green or blue pigments. In French the terms vert bis and azur bis mean dark green and dark blue respectively...
," on the arches at either end of the hall were made "many sundry antiques and devices." The engraved decoration of armour produced in the royal workshop at Greenwich
Greenwich Armour
Greenwich armour was a distinctively English style of plate armour of the 16th and 17th centuries, produced by the Royal Almain Armoury founded by Henry VIII in 1525 in Greenwich. The armoury's name came from the German master armourers hired by Henry VIII...
is thought to have been influenced by Giovanni's Italian renaissance style.
Giovanni began to work on a tomb for Wolsey with the Italian sculptor and bronze-founder, Benedetto da Rovezzano, but the project had to be abandoned after the Cardinal fell out of royal favour in 1529. The artist and biographer of artists, Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...
mentions the project under Benedetto's name, but thought the tomb was for Henry VIII.