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In Rome Giovanni Dalmata collaborated on many works with two of the foremost sculptors of the day: Andrea Bregno and Mino da Fiesole. His style, however, preserved its individuality, and he apparently did not attempt to match his work to that of his collaborators. With Andrea Bregno he worked on the tomb of Cardinal Giacomo Tebaldi (d. 1466; Santa Maria sopra Minerva) and that of Cardinal Bartolomeo Roverella (1476–77; San Clemente).
Bartolomeo Roverella (1406–1476) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and Cardinal of Ravenna. In 1475 he was elected Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals. In 1462, he was awarded the titular church of San Clemente, where he was buried. The tomb is set against the wall of the north aisle, inside the sanctuary area.
The effigy of the cardinal lies on a sarcophagus decorated with garlands of fruit and foliage. At his head and feet stand two angels. Above him, in a bow-shaped recess, is a low-relief carving of the Virgin enthroned, with the Christ Child, flanked by angels. On the left, St Peter presents the kneeling cardinal to her. St Paul stands on the right. On either side hang curtains, drawn back to reveal the scene. In a semi-dome above, God the Father, surrounded by cherubs, raises his hand in blessing, as he looks down on the effigy of the cardinal.
The tomb of the cardinal in San Clemente is acknowledged to be one of the most significant examples in Rome of early Renaissance sculpture.
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