Baccio, a celebrated Florentine sculptor, born in 1487. His father was an eminent goldsmith, distinguished by his exquisite designs in chasing of gold and silver ornaments; and in this domestic school, Baccio, or Bartolommeo, obtained the first elements of drawing. Showing a strong inclination for the fine arts, he was early placed under Francesco Rustici, a sculptor, and he made rapid progress. He was the fellow student of Buonarotti in the garden of the Medici at Florence. As an artist, Bandinelli was very eminent; but his bad temper and arrogance made him hateful to his contemporaries, who have not in general done justice to his merit. He executed many works in marble and in bronze, of much grandeur. His best works are the marble colossal group of Hercules and Cacus in the Piazza del Gran Duco; his group of Adam and Eve; his exquisite bassi-rilievi in the choir of the cathedral of Florence; and the figures of Christ and Nicodemus on his own tomb. Bandinelli shows himself in these works an admirable master of design, and exhibits great skill in human anatomy, and in the cast of his draperies. He died at Florence in 1559. (T. S. T.)