PONTE, ANTONIO DA

born 1512, Venice died c. 1595 architect-engineer who built the Rialto Bridge in Venice. Though he was undoubtedly the builder of many previous structures, Antonio's earlier works are entirely unknown. He won a competition in 1587 for a design for a permanent bridge over the Grand Canal at the busy Rialto. His broad, single-arch span, covered with arcaded shops, at once became one of the city's foremost monuments.