Nicola and Giovanni Pisano

Nicola and Giovanni Pisano father and son are the most important makers of Italian Gothic sculpture. Their pulpits (1260 1311) in Pisa, Siena and Pistoia are materpieces of European sculpture and continue to amaze viewers. This richly illustrated publication on the work of Nicola and Giovanni Pisano goes beyond a typical artists biography to portray a unique phenomenon in cultural history, namely the dialogue between an equally talented father and son. Never before nor since in art, literature or music have a father and son ever met on an artistic level in quite this way. This book offers a broad examination of the development of both artists styles, focussing on the origin of Giovannis style during the time as his fathers assistant, and their joint work on the pulpit in Siena. It also contains extensive information on the social and iconographic aspects of Nicola and Giovanni Pisanos work which helps to explain how their style evolved. Extensive socio-historical studies based on years of archival research on the two Pisanis are published here for the first time.This book gives particular consideration to both sculptors Gothic art in France and thirteenth century Rome. Using text and image sources, the history of research on Nicola and Giovanni Pisano is traced back to the early nineteenth century. The volume of texts is supplemented by a second book containing approximately 500 new high-quality illustrations which create an impressive record of the art of the Pisani.