Andrea Riccio

Andrea Briosco, also known by his nickname Riccio (curly head), first trained as a goldsmith with his father, Ambrogio di Cristoforo Briosco. Riccio later shifted his emphasis to bronze sculpting, studying with a student of Donatello. Riccio commonly embellished everyday objects, such as candlesticks, bells, inkwells, and incense burners, with mythological creatures, and also made sphinxes, griffins, dragons, and satyrs the subjects of his classically inspired sculptures. Best known for his bronze works, Riccio also worked in terracotta; however, few of his clay works have survived over the years.

Riccio’s artistic style was influenced by his time spent in Padua, Italy’s university community. Renaissance Padua was a center of Humanist thought and an important site for innovations in sculpture. There, artists like Riccio incorporated elements of antiquity and Christianity in their art. Riccio died in Padua in 1532.