Andrea Pisano

Andrea Pisano (ca. 1290-1348) was the most important 14th-century sculptor in Florence, as well as an architect.

Andrea Pisano, also called Andrea da Pontedera, was born in Pontedera near Pisa. He may have been trained in the shop of Tino di Camaino, a follower of Giovanni Pisano. Andrea's work before 1330 is unknown. According to Lorenzo Ghiberti, Andrea did many things for S. Maria della Spina, Pisa, though nothing extant can be assigned to him with certainty.

In a document of Jan. 22, 1330, Andrea's name appeared for the first time as maestro delle porte (artist of the doors) in connection with the first set of bronze doors for the Baptistery in Florence. He was capomastro of the Cathedral in Florence (1337-1340) and of the Cathedral in Orvieto (1347). He died sometime before July 19, 1348, when his son's name, Nino Pisano, appeared as capomastro in Orvieto.

His Works

The bronze doors of the Baptistery, which now adorn the south portal, are Andrea's masterpiece. In 1329 a member of the cloth merchants' guild, which was responsible for the decoration of the Baptistery, was sent to Pisa to study the doors of the Cathedral and later to Venice to secure a bronze founder for the project in Florence. According to a document of April 2, 1330, Andrea's wax model for the doors was finished. The doors, which were hung by March 15, 1336, are inscribed with Andrea's name. They consist of two large bronze wings decorated with 28 gilded reliefs set in quatrefoils. The lower 8 frames, 4 on each leaf of the doors, show the Seven Virtues plus Humility. The upper 20 frames tell the story of John the Baptist. In the narrative reliefs he relied on the mosaic cycle in the dome of the Baptistery and on Giotto's murals in the Peruzzi Chapel, Sta Croce, both of which tell the story of the Baptist. Andrea's style in these reliefs is Gothic and much closer to Giotto than to the Byzantine style of the mosaics.

The reliefs are medium high with, usually, a few figures moving across a shallow platform before architectural or landscape elements. The movements, dignified and restrained, spring from the rhythms Andrea established across the surface by deeply folded drapery and graceful, swaying postures. The figure sculpture is, in general, subordinate to the overall architectural framework of the portal.

Andrea was also responsible for a number of marble reliefs (1337-1340) on the two lowest registers of the Campanile of the Florentine Cathedral (now in the Cathedral Museum); in style they are similar to the bronze doors. A group of life-size kings, prophets, and sibyls (also in the Cathedral Museum) were intended to decorate niches in the Campanile. Though done more or less in Andrea's style, they are probably not autograph works. Two statues of Christ and St. Reparata (in the same museum), of remarkable quality, are commonly attributed to Andrea.

Further Reading

For the most up-to-date information on Andrea Pisano see John Pope-Hennessey, An Introduction to Italian Sculpture, vol. 1: Italian Gothic Sculpture (1955). □

Pisano, Andrea (b ?Pontedera, nr. Pisa, c.1290; d ?Orvieto, 1348/9). Italian sculptor and architect, not related to Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. He probably came from Pontedera near Pisa (he is sometimes called Andrea da Pontedera), but he is first documented in Florence in 1330, when he began work on a pair of bronze doors for the Baptistery. The doors, finished in 1336, are the first of the three great sets for the Baptistery (the other two are by Ghiberti), and represent twenty scenes from the life of St John the Baptist and eight Virtues—melodious in line and with a jeweller's refinement of handling. By 1340 Andrea was architect to Florence Cathedral (succeeding Giotto) and the only other works certainly by him or from his workshop are reliefs and statues for the cathedral's campanile. In their clear-cut designs the reliefs show the influence of Giotto's painting. In 1347 Andrea was appointed master of works at Orvieto Cathedral, where he was succeeded by his son Nino (d 1368) in 1349. Nino is known from documents to have been active as a goldsmith and architect, but all his surviving works are sculptures in marble. He was much less distinguished as an artist than his father, but noteworthy in being one of the first sculptors to specialize in free-standing life-size statues.

Pisano, Andrea (c.1290–1348/9?). Italian sculptor and architect, not related to Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. He probably came from Pontedera near Pisa (he is sometimes called Andrea da Pontedera), but he is first documented in Florence in 1330, when he began work on a pair of bronze doors for the Baptistery. The doors, finished in 1336, are the first of the three great sets for the Baptistery (the other two are by Ghiberti), and represent twenty scenes from the life of St John the Baptist and eight Virtues—melodious in line and with a jeweller's refinement of handling. By 1340 Andrea was architect to Florence Cathedral (succeeding Giotto) and the only other works certainly by him or from his workshop are reliefs and statues for the cathedral's campanile. In their clear-cut designs the reliefs show the influence of Giotto's painting. In 1347 Andrea was appointed master of works at Orvieto Cathedral, where he was succeeded by his son Nino (d. 1368) in 1349. Nino is known from documents to have been active as a goldsmith and architect, but all his surviving works are sculptures in marble. He was much less distinguished as an artist than his father, but noteworthy in being one of the first sculptors to specialize in free-standing life-size statues.

Andrea Pisano , c.1290–c.1348, Italian sculptor, also called Andrea da Pontedera. His most important work, the first bronze doors of the baptistery in Florence, was begun in 1330. In 28 panels he depicted scenes from the life of John the Baptist. Through Andrea, Italian sculpture came under the influence of the painter and architect Giotto , whom he succeeded as head of the work on the cathedral and the campanile in Florence. It is still debated whether the design for the campanile reliefs is to be credited to Giotto or to Andrea. Andrea spent his last year in Orvieto, directing work on the facade of the cathedral.

Pisano, Andrea (c.1295–1348/9). Master-Mason of the Duomo (Cathedral), Florence, from c.1337, where he probably designed the niche stage of the campanile. He was Master-Mason at Orvieto Cathedral from 1347.

Bibliography

Jane Turner (1996);
M. Trachtenberg (1971);
John White (1987)