Antonio Gentili (also called Antonio Gentili da Faenza)

The son of Pietro Gentili, a goldsmith, Antonio Gentili da Faenza accessed the highest circles of society and enjoyed great fame in his lifetime. Working in Rome from about 1549, Gentili gained entrance to the goldsmiths’ guild as a master craftsman by 1552. While his commissions included many household items fashioned in gold for the Medici, his masterpiece is considered the two silver-gilt candlesticks and a cross that he made for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese in 1582. These works went on to influence French and English sculptors and designers of the eighteenth century, including Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795). Today the works are housed at the Treasury of St. Peter’s in Rome. Because Antonio often borrowed motifs from other artists, notably Michelangelo, the attribution of his works can pose difficulties. The Smart Museum’s reliquary shares characteristics of Antonio’s other Farnese-commissioned works, including his ingenious use of precious materials like rock crystal and lapis lazuli.