BARILI, ANTONIO di NERI. - Architect and wood-carver, b. in 1453, d. in 1517 at Siena. More than in architectural works, he excelled in carving and inlay work, transmitting the artistic heritage of the ancient Sienese masters to his pupils, who preserved it for much of the 16th century. His principal works are
in the cathedral of Siena: the choir of the chapel of S. Giovanni (1483–1502), of which only fragments remain; the celebrated benches of the Piccolomini Library, the choir stalls, the organ of the sacristy, and the singers’ gallery to the right of the apse. Also in Siena are a carved coffer in the Palazzo della Signoria and nine pilasters, executed in 1511, in the gallery of the Accademia. In the Vienna Museum there is a panel with a carved self-portrait, dated 1502.
His nephew GIOVANNI, b. in the second half of the 15th century, was his pupil and collaborator. He worked extensively in Rome, especially in the Vatican Stanze, where, on Raffaello’s commission, he executed doors and windows.