SOLARI, Italian family of artists
The older branch included architects and sculptors who for three generations held numerous important positions in the ducal building projects in Lombardy: Giovanni Solari (c.1410-c.1480), his sons Guiniforte Solari (1429-1481) and Francesco Solari (active 1464-1470), and Guiniforte's son Pietro Antonio Solari (c. 1445-1493),were all involved in work on the Certosa di Pavia and on Milan Cathedral. As a result, their individual contributions are often difficult to distinguish. These artists represented the Late Gothic tradition, partly in conscious opposition to the Renaissance architecture that was appearing in Milan from the middle of the 15th century. A second branch of the family, also based in Lombardy, was headed by the mason Bertolo Solari. Among his sons were the architect and sculptor Cristoforo Solari (active 1489-1520), the painter Andrea Solario (c. 1475-1515), Alberto Solario (d 1512) and Pietro Solari, both masons and engineers.
