Giuliano, who was born in Maiano, near Fiesole, was among the leading architects and sculptors of Florence in the 15th century. He served for a period as capomaestro of the Duomo, Florence and became court architect to Alfonso, Duke of Calabria (later King Alfonso II of Naples). He is particularly known for his woodcarving and intarsia work.
Gubbio
Intarsia Panels (ca. 1475-82)
The intarsia panels that lined the lower part of the walls of the studiolo (study) of Duke Federico da Montefeltro in Palazzo Ducale are (like those of the equivalent room in Palazzo Ducale, Urbino) attributed to Giuliano da Maiano. The Balducci family, who owned the palace at Gubbio in the 19th century, sold them to Filippo Massimo Lancellotti in 1874 and he sent them by train to his villa in Frascati. The Italian government contested the sale in 1888 but was unable to effect their return since the palace itself was in a poor state of repair. However, because of the continuing danger of confiscation, the panels were never installed as intended but remained in store at Frascati. In 1937, Massimo Lancellotti sold them to a Venetian art dealer, Adolphe Loewi, who took them with him when he moved to America just before the start of the Second World War. He duly sold them to the Metropolitan Museum of New York where they are the subject of a new display after the recent completion of a long programme of restoration.
Fortunately, the architectural structure of the studiolo remains in tact and the Associazione Maggio Eugubino organised the installation of a replica of its original decoration, including the intarsia panels, in 2009.
Perugia
Choir stalls (1489-91)
The choir stalls that Bishop Dionisio Vannucci commissioned for the Duomo carry the inscription:
Opus luliani Maiani et Dominici Taxi Florentini MCCCCLXXXXI
Scholars believe that they were designed by Giuliano da Maiano and completed by Domenico del Tasso after Giuliano’s death in 1490. They were moved from the nave to their present location in the choir in 1524. The right hand stalls were destroyed in a fire in 1985, and have been replaced by copies.