inspired by the Romanesque scheme of Bonanno’s Porta
San Ranieri at the cathedral in Pisa and, possibly, the
Porta Regia (now destroyed) from the same building.
The remarkable unity of Andrea’s design, however, de-
pends on a variety of decorative motifs, which include
lions’ heads that are placed at the corners of each panel,
bands of studs and rosettes that unite the lions’ heads,
and dentiled moldings that frame each of the quatrefoils.
The iconographic program of the fi gural reliefs is
closely related to the mosaic scenes of the life of John the
Baptist in the interior of the Baptistery and to frescoes
on the same theme by Giotto in the Peruzzi Chapel in
Santa Croce (also in Florence). Giotto’s infl uence is also
refl ected in the harmonious balance of the compositions,
in which reliefs are carefully structured into planes; and
in the classical economy of the narratives, which rely
on the purposeful movements of concentrated groups
of fi gures. The technique of applying fi gures to a plain
background, a feature of Sienese metalwork of the early
Trecento, adds to the solemnity of the compositions.
Concessions were, however, made for the occasional
motif of a doorway, curtain, or canopy; and in fi ve reliefs
from the left door valve, landscape is incorporated into
the designs with great subtlety. The infl uence of Giotto’s
measured style in Andrea’s work is tempered by a debt to
French and Sienese artistic traditions: activated, spirited
drapery forms, which envelope the bodies of Andrea’s
dignifi ed fi gures, introduce a note of grace and elegance
to the otherwise restrained reliefs.
That Andrea was at the height of his creative powers
when he worked on the doors is clear from the precision
of the fi nely chased details of the fi re-gilt surfaces. The
Calimala had, evidently, awarded this diffi cult com-
mission to a mature and profi cient artist, and his work
would remain a benchmark for artistic excellence into
the Quattrocento. In fact, when the Calimala set up a
competition in 1400–1401, the aim was to attract an
artist who could work on a second set of bronze doors
that would follow Andrea’s model and maintain his
high standards.
Andrea as Capomaestro at Florence and
Orvieto (1337–1348)
Andrea’s contribution to the decoration of the campanile
in Florence probably dates from before Giotto’s death
in 1337. Thereafter, Andrea succeeded Giotto as capo-
maestro, supervising work on the tower until 1341. He
proceeded according to his great predecessor’s plans for
the lower part of the structure, which included two rows
of reliefs: the lower group, within hexagonal frames,
shows scenes from Genesis and practitioners of the arts,
sciences, and works of man; the upper set shows the
seven sacraments, the seven planets, the seven virtues,
and the seven liberal arts in rhomboid frames. However,
Andrea departed from Giotto’s scheme in adding niches
designed to include statuary above these relief cycles.
Though the precise nature of Andrea’s contribution is
still a matter of scholarly debate, one work generally at-
tributed to him is the marble relief Sculpture, which, like
the style of the bronze reliefs, is characterized by plastic
form, harmonious composition, and attention to detail.
Around 1341, Andrea returned to Pisa, where he
maintained a workshop even after 1347, the year he was
appointed capomaestro at the cathedral of Orvieto. By
1349, however, Andrea had been replaced, and it is fre-
quently assumed either that he died of the plague in 1348
or 1349 or, less probably, that he moved to Florence. The
family tradition was carried on by Andrea’s sons Nino (fl.
1334–1360s) and Tommaso (fl. 1363–1372), especially
Nino, who succeeded his rather at Orvieto. Andrea’s
sons were less interested in the classicizing aspects of his
work, and both of them evolved a mainly Gothic formal
vocabulary. In the early Quattrocento the suave, lyrical
style of their sculpture was still a force to reckon with,
as the early work of Jacopo della Quercia demonstrates.
See also Giotto di BondoneFurther Reading
Burresi, Mariagiulia, ed. Andrea, Nino, e Tommaso scultori
pisani. Milan: Electa, 1983.
Castelnuovo, Enrico. “Andrea Pisano scultore in legno.” In Sacre
passioni: Scultura lignea a Pisa dal XII al XV secolo, ed.
Mariagiulia Burresi. Milan: Morta, 2000, pp. 152–163.
Clark, Kenneth, and David Finn. The Florentine Baptistery
Doors. Kampala: Uganda Publishing and Advertising Ser-
vices, 1980.
Garzelli, Annarosa. “Andrea Pisano a Firenze e una ‘Madonna con
il cardellino.’” Antichità Viva, 36(5–6), 1997, pp. 49–62.
Kreytenberg, Gert. “Andrea Pisano’s Earliest Works in Marble.”
Burlington Magazine, 122, 1980, pp. 3–8.
——. Andrea Pisano und die toskanische Skulptur des 14. Jah-
rhunderts. Munich: Bruckmann, 1984.
——. “Eine unbekannte Verkündigungsmadonna als ‘Maria
gravida’ von Andrea Pisano.” In Opere e giorni: Studi su
mille anni di arte europea dedicati a Max Seidel, ed. Klaus
Bergdolt and Giorgio Bonsanti. Venice: Marsilio, 2001, pp.
147–154.
Moskowitz, Anita Fiderer. The Sculpture of Andrea and Nino
Pisano. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
——. Italian Gothic Sculpture, c. 1250–c. 1400. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Paolucci, Antonio. Le porte del Battistero di Firenze alle origini
del Rinascimento. Modena: Panini, 1996.
Pope-Hennessy, John. Italian Gothic Sculpture, 4th ed. London:
Phaidon, 1996
Flavio BoggiPISANO, GIOVANNI (d. by 1319)
Giovanni Pisano was the son of Nicola Pisano. Nicola
executed the pulpits in the baptistery of Pisa and the ca-
thedral of Siena, and Giovanni is fi rst documented as anPISANO, ANDREA