Nicola Pisano (c. 1220–1284) was a pivotal Italian sculptor and architect, widely considered the founder of modern sculpture and a father of the Italian Renaissance. Though he is associated with Pisa, historical documents refer to him as “Nicola de Apulia,” suggesting he was born and trained in Southern Italy, likely under the classical revivalist court of Emperor Frederick II.
Pisano is best known for synthesizing the gravitas of ancient Roman sculpture with the expressive energy of the then-dominant Gothic style. This blend is most visible in his masterpiece, the Pulpit of the Pisa Baptistery (finished in 1260). unlike the flat, stylized reliefs typical of the medieval period, Pisano’s figures possessed weight, volume, and realistic drapery, clearly inspired by Roman sarcophagi he studied in the Camposanto of Pisa.
In 1265, he was commissioned to create a second major pulpit for the Siena Cathedral. This work was more ambitious and complex than the Pisa pulpit, featuring crowded, emotional scenes that moved closer to the French Gothic style. On this project, he led a workshop that included his son, Giovanni Pisano, and Arnolfo di Cambio, both of whom would become masters in their own right.
His final major work was the Fontana Maggiore in Perugia (1278), a monumental fountain decorated with reliefs of the months, liberal arts, and fables, which he executed with his son Giovanni. Nicola Pisano’s work laid the groundwork for the realistic treatment of the human form that would be fully realized by Donatello and Michelangelo centuries later.
Active in others filds : Architecture (Contributed to the dome of the Pisa Baptistery and the bell tower of San Nicola).
