Italian (Sienese) · Gothic
Camaino di Crescentino
b. c. 1260, Siena — d. c. 1338, Siena
Camaino di Crescentino (c. 1260–c. 1338) was a Sienese sculptor and master builder of Siena Cathedral's works in the early 1300s, father of the sculptor Tino di Camaino.
1 work in the collection
Works by Camaino di Crescentino
Camaino di Crescentino was a Sienese sculptor and architect of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. He is remembered chiefly as a master of works for Siena Cathedral and as the father of the more famous Gothic sculptor Tino di Camaino.
Life and career
Very little about Camaino is certain, and what is known comes mainly from the records of the Opera del Duomo, the body that ran the cathedral's construction. He appears in those documents between about 1299 and 1317 as a master builder in charge of work on the cathedral. Sienese tradition also credits him with the design of the Fonte Nuova (1295), a public fountain and washing place in the city's northern quarter, and connects him with the beginning of the Baptistery of San Giovanni, built under the east end of the cathedral from around 1316–17.
Siena Cathedral
The cathedral's lower facade had been designed and carved by Giovanni Pisano from about 1284, with his remarkable sculpted prophets and sibyls. After Pisano left Siena, the work passed through several hands, and Camaino is one of the masters documented in the early fourteenth century. Work on the upper facade later stalled and was completed in the later fourteenth century in a more decorated Gothic style associated with Giovanni di Cecco. Exactly which parts of the building are Camaino's is not something sources agree on, so the most honest description is that he directed the cathedral works for part of this long campaign.
His son, Tino di Camaino
Tino di Camaino (c. 1280–1337) trained in this world of cathedral sculpture, probably under Giovanni Pisano, and became one of the great tomb sculptors of the fourteenth century, working in Pisa, Florence and Naples.
Where to see his work
Siena Cathedral, its Baptistery and the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo preserve the building campaigns he worked on. See also Gothic Art.
Questions & answers
Who was Camaino di Crescentino?
Camaino di Crescentino (c. 1260–c. 1338) was a Sienese sculptor and architect, documented as master builder for Siena Cathedral roughly between 1299 and 1317. He was the father of the Gothic sculptor Tino di Camaino.
What did Camaino di Crescentino build?
He directed construction at Siena Cathedral in the early fourteenth century and is traditionally credited with designing the Fonte Nuova fountain in Siena (1295) and with the start of the Baptistery of San Giovanni under the cathedral.
Who designed the facade of Siena Cathedral?
The lower facade was designed and sculpted by Giovanni Pisano from about 1284. Later masters, including Camaino di Crescentino in the early 1300s and Giovanni di Cecco in the later fourteenth century, continued and completed it.