Vecchietta

This monumental book is the first monograph devoted to the Sienese artist Lorenzo di Pietro, known as Vecchietta (1410–1480).

 A painter, sculptor, architect and goldsmith, Vecchietta is a towering figure in the history of Sienese art and, as this book demonstrates, a central protagonist of the Early Renaissance in Italy. His diverse oeuvre across multiple media provides a prism through which to re-evaluate the art of Quattrocento Siena, traditionally misinterpreted as ancillary to Florence. 

 

Vecchietta was one of the few Italian artists of the period to paint an independent self-portrait and the first to design a funerary chapel for himself. He signed and dated most of his work, presenting himself as a sculptor on his paintings and a painter on his sculptures. He is credited with innovations in style and technique that paved the way for the next generation of Sienese artists, most of whom trained in his workshop.

 

The first monograph on the artist since a 1937 booklet by Giorgio Vigni, the volume subverts traditional expectations about the monograph itself to show how a different art history, capable of capturing the complexity of polymaths like Vecchietta, is not only possible, but necessary.

Published by Paul Holberton Publishing

 

Exhibition Schedule:

 

Santa Maria della Scala, Siena

(25 October 2025–29 March 2026)