Alfonso Lombardi

[1] In his birthplace of Ferrara, Italy, Lombardi entered into his artistic apprenticeship, working with plaster and terracotta—materials that he continued to prefer later in his life.

He worked at the court of Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, where he executed portrait medals carved in stucco or wax and then cast in metal.

Lombardi's statue of Hercules battling the Hydra, in terracotta, found in the Palazzo d'Accursio in Bologna, was completed in July 1519.

In December of that same year, he was commissioned to create the large ensemble of Death of the Virgin for the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita.

Lombardi also carved sculptures in marble for the facade of San Petronio Basilica in Bologna, including the Lunette of the Resurrection (1527) and the side doors depicting the Annunciation and Adam and Eve (1526–32).