Sant'Andrea's Capital

This is the first in a series of four capitals from the smaller pilasters of the triumphal arch of the exterior of the Basilica of Sant'Andrea, on which Luca Fancelli commenced building works in 1472 following Leon Battista Alberti's design. All four are kept in the Mantua City Museum.The wide design of the capital, with prominent lateral volutes and a flourishing basket of acanthus leaves in the middle, is considered unique in the architecture style of the period and refers to the vogue for the classical and the antiquarian that characterised production by Alberti and Mantegna. The same structure can be seen on another work by Mantegna: the Altarpiece of San Zeno in Verona.