Andrea Pisano (
Pontedera
Pontedera (; ) is an Italian comune with a population of 30070, located in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, Central Italy, central Italy.
The town is located 20 km (12 miles) from Pisa and 50 km (31 miles) from Florence.
It houses the headquarte ...
12901348
Orvieto
Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are compl ...
)
also known as Andrea da Pontedera, was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
and
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
.
Biography
Pisano initially learned the trade of a
goldsmith
A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...
.
He later became an apprentice of
Mino di Giovanni, about 1300, and worked with him on the sculpture for
Santa Maria della Spina at
Pisa
Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
and elsewhere. He produced his main works in
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
. It is assumed that
Giotto
Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto, was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the International Gothic, Gothic and Italian Ren ...
was eventually more influential on his style than his earlier teacher. He produced the first (now on the southside) of the three bronze doors of the
Baptistery in Florence. He worked on this major project between 1330–1336. The door consists of a number of small quatrefoil panels, the lower eight containing single figures of the Virtues, and the rest scenes from the life of
John the Baptist
John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
.
Andrea Pisano, while living in Florence, also produced many important works of marble sculpture, all of which show Giotto's influence. In 1340 he succeeded Giotto as Master of the Works of
Florence's Cathedral.
There he produced a series of reliefs, possibly designed by his former teacher, including the double band of panel-reliefs which Pisano executed for the
great campanile. The subjects of these are the ''Four Great Prophets'', the ''Seven Virtues'', the ''Seven Sacraments'', the ''Seven Works of Mercy'' and the ''Seven Planets''. The contains the most important works of Pisano in marble (now in its museum). In 1347 he became Master of the Works at
Orvieto Cathedral, which had already been designed and begun by
Lorenzo Maitani.
These and the cathedral's doors are Pisano's only surviving works. Pisano is known for contributing to freeing
modern art
Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradit ...
from
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
influence. He died in 1348.
Andrea Pisano had two sons,
Nino and Tommaso.
Both eventually succeeded him as Master of the Works at Orvieto Cathedral.
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...
includes a biography of Andrea Pisano in his ''
Lives
Lives may refer to:
* The plural form of a ''life''
* Lives, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran
* The number of lives in a video game
* ''Parallel Lives'', aka ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', a series of biographies of famous m ...
''.
Pisano's most famous apprentice was Andrea di Cione, better known as
Andrea Orcagna. Another of his apprentices,
Giovanni di Balduccio, executed the shrine of
Sant'Eustorgio in Milan.
Gallery
Andrea Pisano, Justitia from the south door of the Baptistery, 1330-36, Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.jpg, ''Justitia'' from the south door of Florence Baptistery
The Florence Baptistery, also known as the Baptistery of Saint John (), is a religious building in Florence, Italy. Dedicated to the patron saint of the city, John the Baptist, it has been a focus of religious, civic, and artistic life since its ...
, 1330–36
Andrea Pisano, The Creation of Adam and Eve, 1334-43, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.jpg, ''The Creation of Adam and Eve,'' 1334–43
Andrea Pisano's workshop, The Sacrament of Extreme Unction, 1343-60, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.jpg, ''The Sacrament of Extreme Unction,'' 1343–60
Andrea Pisano's workshop, Geometry, 1343-60, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.jpg, ''Geometry'', c. 1343–60
Andrea Pisano's workshop, Logic, 1343-60, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.jpg, ''Rhetoric'', c. 1343–60
Andrea e nino pisano, architettura, 1348-50, dal lato est del campanile 01.JPG, ''Architecture'', 1348–50
Andrea pisano, fidia ovvero la scultura, 1348-50, dal lato nord del campanile 01.JPG, ''Phidias
Phidias or Pheidias (; , ''Pheidias''; ) was an Ancient Greek sculptor, painter, and architect, active in the 5th century BC. His Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Phidias also designed the statues of ...
(sculpture),'' 1348-50
Andrea pisano, navigazione, 1343-60, dal lato est del campanile 01.JPG, ''Navigation'', c. 1343–60
Andrea Pisano, Jabal (sheep herding), 1334-43, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.jpg, '' Jabal (sheep herding),'' 1334–43
Andrea Pisano, Daedalus, 1348-50, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.jpg, ''Daedalus
In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...
,'' 1348–50
Andrea Pisano, Horse riding, 1348-50, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.jpg, ''Horse riding,'' 1348–50
Andrea Pisano, St Reparata, 1337-40, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.jpg, ''Santa Reparata,'' 1337–40
Andrea Pisano, King Salomon, 1337-41, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.jpg, ''King Salomon,'' 1337–41
Interno Spina 06.JPG, ''San Pietro''
San Giovanni Andrea Pisano.JPG, ''San Giovanni''
Madonna del Latte copia.JPG, ''Madonna del Latte'' (copy)
References
External links
Panels by Andrea Pisano in Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pisano, Andrea
1290 births
1340s deaths
People from Pontedera
Italian sculptors
Italian male sculptors
14th-century Italian architects
Gothic sculptors
Architects from Pisa