Biography

Italian sculptor and architect, active in Poland. He was taught by his father, the restorer of the cathedral in Florence, and the sculptor Baccio Bandinelli. Before coming to Poland, Gucci created some sculptures in Florence, but no details about these works are known.

From 1558 onwards, he worked for the royal court in Kraków. Anna Jagiellon ordered Gucci to make gravestones for the Sigismund Chapel of the Wawel castle (1574-75), as well as tombstones for Sigismund II Augustus and the queen herself. Gucci also built a palace in Lobzów (destroyed) for King Stephen Báthory and rebuilt St. Mary's Chapel on Wawel castle for Stephen Báthory's tomb. He also created a tombstone for the late king (1594-95, it was the only one that was signed by the artist: SANTI GUCI FIORE[ntinus]). His workshop was located in Pinczów.

Like to all the other eminent Italian bricklayers and sculptors operating in Poland in the 16th century, Gucci created his works with the help of numerous assistants. In most cases, Gucci's authorship is hypothetical, and scholars ascribe works to him on the basis of analysis of sculptural and decorative forms. As a sculptor, Gucci is characterised as a representative of Florence Mannerism of the second half of the 16th century.

Gucci was also active as an architect. Apart from the palace in Lobzów for Stephen Báthory, he also rebuilt the castle in Janowiec (1565-85), Báthory's palace in Grodno (after 1580), the castle in Ksiaz Wielki (1585-95) and the castle in Pinczów (begun 1591), both for the Myszkowski family. The workshop which Gucci ran in Pinczów created sculptural and architectural work that are now located all over Poland.