Vecchietta

Painter, sculptor, architect and goldsmith, the Sienese artist Lorenzo di Pietro, known as Vecchietta (1410–1480), is an emblematic figure in the history of 15th-century Siena and a central protagonist of early Italian Renaissance art. Vecchietta was one of the few Italian artists of his time to paint an independent self-portrait and the first to design a funeral chapel for himself. He signed and dated most of his works, presenting himself as a sculptor on his paintings and as a painter on his sculptures. His patrons were eminent figures such as Cardinal Branda Castiglioni and Pope Pius II.

This monumental work is the first monograph devoted to Vecchietta. It contains a wealth of new research and archival material, as well as numerous previously unpublished photographs. His long life and varied oeuvre, spanning several media, offer a prism through which to re-evaluate the art of Quattrocento Siena, traditionally and mistakenly considered secondary to that of Florence.