Giovanni Pisano
Italian sculptor blending French Gothic and Roman art.
Giovanni Pisano (c. 1250 – c. 1315) was an Italian sculptor active in Pisa, Siena, and Pistoia. His work is noted for blending French Gothic elements with the traditions of Ancient Roman sculpture. The modernist sculptor Henry Moore, speaking of Pisano's figures on the facade of Siena Cathedral, described him as "the first modern sculptor."
Pisano was born in Pisa, the son of the renowned sculptor Nicola Pisano. He learned his craft in his father's workshop and collaborated with him on the pulpit for Siena Cathedral between 1265 and 1268. The pair next completed the Fontana Maggiore in Perugia in 1278. Nicola Pisano likely died around 1278 or in 1284, when Giovanni took up residence in Siena. Because these early pieces closely follow Nicola's style, telling their individual contributions apart is often tricky. A clear exception is a *Madonna and Child* that can be firmly credited to Giovanni, as it introduces a fresh sense of closeness between mother and child.
Giovanni's next major project was at the Baptistry, where from 1277 to 1284 he carved the statues set into two rows of traceried gables on the exterior. The lively energy of these figures confirms he had moved beyond his father's calm, serene approach. From 1287 to 1296, he served as chief architect (capomaestro) of Siena Cathedral. The facade's architectural design and its elegant sculptures reveal his habit of merging Gothic forms with echoes of Roman art. After his death, Memmo di Filippuccio continued the work, adding even more Gothic ornamentation.
In 1296, Giovanni returned to Pisa to become capomaestro of its cathedral. He finished the Pulpit of Sant' Andrea in Pistoia in 1301, having begun it in 1297. This pulpit features five relief panels: the Annunciation and Nativity; the Adoration, the Dream of the Magi, and the Angel Warning Joseph; the Massacre of the Innocents; the Crucifixion; and the Last Judgement.
Between 1302 and 1310, Giovanni worked on a new pulpit for Pisa Cathedral, which shows a clear preference for animated, dramatic figures and pushes his father's style even further away. This pulpit, with its intense scenes, is considered his masterpiece. Carved from white marble, it presents nine New Testament scenes with a strong chiaroscuro effect and includes a bold, naturalistic depiction of a naked Hercules. The figure of Prudence on this pulpit may have inspired Masaccio's Eve i
- born
- c. 1250
- died
- c. 1315
- field
- Sculpture, architecture
- nationality
- Italian
- known_for
- Sculpture combining French Gothic and Ancient Roman art; pulpit of Pisa Cathedral
Lore & Background
Giovanni Pisano was born in Pisa, the son of the famous sculptor Nicola Pisano. He trained in his father's workshop and worked with him on the pulpit in Siena Cathedral (1265–1268) and the Fontana Maggiore in Perugia (completed 1278). After Nicola's death (thought to be either around 1278 or in 1284), Giovanni took up residence in Siena. His early works were in Nicola's style, but the Madonna and Child can be attributed with certainty to Giovanni due to its new expression of intimacy between mother and child.
Giovanni's next major work was sculpting statues for the exterior of the Baptistry (1277–1284), where the vivacity of the figures confirmed he had left his father's serene style behind. Between 1287 and 1296 he served as chief architect of Siena Cathedral, designing its facade with sculptures blending Gothic and Roman art. In 1296 he returned to Pisa as capomaestro of the Cathedral, completing the Pulpit of Sant' Andrea in Pistoia in 1301 and his masterwork, the new pulpit for Pisa Cathedral (1302–1310), which features dramatic scenes from the New Testament and a naturalistic depiction of a naked Hercules.
Reader's Guide
Giovanni Pisano's significance lies in his innovative fusion of French Gothic elegance with the monumentality of Ancient Roman sculpture, a synthesis that marked a departure from his father's style and anticipated the Renaissance. His work on the Siena Cathedral facade and the Pisa pulpit demonstrates a preference for animated, expressive figures and dramatic narrative, earning him Henry Moore's description as 'the first modern sculptor.' His influence extended through pupils such as Giovanni di Balduccio and Tino di Camaino, and he impacted the painter Pietro Lorenzetti. The rediscovery of his Pisa pulpit in 1926, after being packed away following a 1595 fire, underscores his lasting legacy. Giorgio Vasari included a biography of Pisano in his Lives, and the asteroid 7313 Pisano honors both Nicola and Giovanni.
Did You Know?
- Henry Moore called Giovanni Pisano 'the first modern sculptor' referring to his statues for the facade of Siena Cathedral.
- Giovanni's figure of Prudence on the Pisa pulpit may have inspired Masaccio's Eve in The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
- The asteroid 7313 Pisano was named to honour both Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
- His masterwork, the pulpit for Pisa Cathedral, was rediscovered and re-erected in 1926 after being packed away following a fire in 1595.
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