Saint Severo

Severo (Calzetta) da Ravenna, an Italian sculptor active from around 1496 to 1543, was known for his work during the High Renaissance and Mannerism periods. He worked primarily in Padua, Ferrara, and Ravenna, where he is believed to have completed his training. His only securely documented work is a marble statue of St John the Baptist, commissioned in 1500 for the entrance to the chapel of St Anthony in the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua. Severo specialized in small bronzes but also created religious figures and functional objects such as inkwells, candlesticks, and oil lamps. His style was noted for its convincing ancient appearance, evident from a bronze bust of a bearded man wearing a toga that was once attributed to him or Tullio Lombardo. Though Severo's work included pagan subjects like dragons and satyrs, his religious works were less documented.