SANSOVINO, Andrea
(b. ca. 1467, Monte Sansovino, d. 1529, Monte Sansovino)

Frieze for the portico (detail)

1485-90
Glazed terracotta, 58 x 90 cm
Villa Medici, Poggio a Caiano

The glazed terracotta frieze for the portico of the Villa Medici at Poggio a Caiano, designed by Giuliano da Sangallo, may have been executed by Sansovino; other sources attribute it to Bertoldo di Giovanni and the della Robbia workshop.

The picture shows the Night and the Chariot of the Sun, part of the relief frieze which adorned the exterior of the villa at Poggio a Caiano. Today the frieze is substituted by a copy for conservation reasons. It is composed of five scenes, the different modelling of which can be explained by the various collaborators in the execution. The overall planning of the work is attributed to Andrea Sansovino. However, the contribution of Bertoldo di Giovanni, who actually died in the villa in 1491, is also assumed.