Luciano Laurana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luciano Laurana (c.1420 – 1479) was a Dalmatian-born Italian architect and engineer who worked in Italy in the late 15th century. His most famous work was the Palazzo Ducale of Urbino. He was a relative of the sculptor Francesco Laurana.
Laurana was born in Vrana, near Zadar (modern Croatia, the part of the Republic of Venice). Little is known about his early years. Around 1465 he is known to have collaborated in Mantua with Leon Battista Alberti. From 1466 to 1472 he directed the works of the new palace commissioned by Federico III da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino. The exact attribution of the works is still disputed, as it is known that also Francesco di Giorgio has a role in the construction: the innovative façade, however, is traditionally recognized as Laurana's.
Later he worked in Naples for the king Ferrante II of Naples. From 1472 he was in Pesaro, where he attended the construction of the Castle (Rocca) until his death, occurred in 1479.
The famous anonymous picture La città ideale, housed in the Urbino National Gallery, has been attributed to him.
