The Pollaiuolo Brothers: The Arts of Florence and Rome

Famous for their new treatment of heroic, antique subjects and the depiction of the male nude in action, Antonio and Piero del Pollaiuolo ran one of the most successful and advanced workshops in fifteenth-century Florence. This comprehensive and beautifully illustrated book reexamines the brothers’ careers and multifaceted work to present a fresh understanding of their contributions to the development of Italian art.

Art historian Alison Wright draws on new evidence to reassess the Pollaiuolo brothers’ activities as painters, sculptors, and designers and to set their work in the context of the changing social, political, and cultural life of both Florence and Rome. She considers Antonio’s and Piero’s innovations as well as their self-conscious development of distinct products in precious or novel media. The book provides the definitive account of the Pollaiuolo brothers and their practices, a comprehensive list of their works (including some newly attributed), and a fully updated chronology.