Benedetto da Maiano

Benedetto da Maiano (1442 – 24 May 1497) was an Italian Early Renaissance sculptor.

Biography Born in the village of Maiano (now part of Fiesole), he started his career as a companion of his brother, the architect Giuliano da Maiano. When he reached the age of thirty he started training under the sculptor Antonio Rossellino. There he learned to work with marble and eventually became more famous than Rossellino and one of the most important sculptors of the 15th century. During his early life, he specialised in wood-mosaic, with the Studiolo of Federico da Montefeltro and other works. King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary invited him to his court, and it is said that the destruction on the journey of some inlay work he was taking to his royal patron made him decide to seek more durable material.

His early attributed works include a shrine dedicated to San Savino for the cathedral of Faenza. Although he was more prolific in sculpting religious subjects, he also carved some portraits of important Florentines; for instance, in 1474, the bust of Pietro Mellini in the Bargello.

In 1475, he worked with his brother Giuliano on the Collegiata church in San Gimignano. Benedetto's most important contribution was the carved altar in the chapel of Santa Fina. As an architect, he created the tomb of Filippo Strozzi, with its roundel of Mother and Child supported by cherubs in the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, and the portico of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Arezzo. He died in Florence at the age of 55.