Pisano, Giovanni

(c. 1248-after 1314)

   Italian sculptor and architect, son of Nicola Pisano. As noted in inscriptions that accompany his works, Giovanni was born in Pisa. He is mentioned in 1265 in the documentation relating to his father's commission for the pulpit of the Cathedral of Siena (1265-1268) on which he assisted. In 1278, he is again mentioned as his father's assistant in an inscription on the FontanaMaggiore in Perugia (fin. 1278), and he is also documented as an architect in Siena and at Massa Maritima. There is a gap in written records relating to Giovanni from 1270-1276, which some believe may signify that he took a trip to France since his works are closely tied to the French Gothic tradition. In 1285, he surrendered his Pisan citizenship to become a citizen of Siena where he worked until 1299. In the decade from 1285 to 1295, Giovanni provided the rich decoration of the lower part of the Siena Cathedral façade. In 1301 he executed the pulpit for Sant' Andrea in Pistoia, a work he signed and dated. In the following year he began the pulpit for the Cathedral of Pisa (fin. 1311), and in c. 1313 he created the Monument to Margaret of Luxemburg (Genoa, Palazzo Bianco) for the Church of San Francesco di Castelletto in Genoa. Though Giovanni worked with his father, the styles of these two masters are quite distinctive. While Nicola blended Gothic elements with the classicism found in Roman sarcophagi and other remains, his son depended mainly on the expressiveness of medieval forms.