(1409-1464)
Italian sculptor and architect who came from a family of artists from Settignano. As sculptor, Bernardo's most important commission was the Tomb of Leonardo Bruni (c. 1445) in the Church of Santa Croce, Florence, a work that set the standard for Renaissance wall tombs. It consists of an effigy laid out on a bier, a sarcophagus below bearing a laudatory inscription, and a tondo of the Virgin and Child supported by angels on the lunette above. Stylistically, Rossellino's art is closely related to the classicism of Lorenzo Ghiberti and Luca della Robbia. As architect, Rossellino assisted Leon Battista Alberti while working on the Palazzo Rucellai (beg. c. 1453) in Florence. His greatest success was the rebuilding of the town of Pienza, south of Siena, in 1459-1462 for Pope Pius II, a commission that represents a major achievement in the history of urban planning.
See also Rossellino, Antonio.
Historical dictionary of Renaissance art. Lilian H. Zirpolo. 2008.