Book Description
Arguably the pre-eminent European sculptor of his age, but historically considered little more than the facile court sculptor to the grand dukes of Florence, Giambologna played a major role in the artistic transformations of the late sixteenth century. Mary Weitzel Gibbons seeks to broaden our hitherto limited view of Giambologna's work by considering his neglected Genoese masterpiece, the Grimaldi Chapel. Although the chapel itself was destroyed during the Napoleonic period, its dazzling bronzes of Virtues and angel-putti and a Passion cycle in relief have survived. The fine detail and rich color of the bronzes are featured in color plates and black-and- white images photographed especially for this book. Gibbons reassesses Giambologna's work, clearly defining his relation to the narrative tradition and his role as an artist of the Catholic Reformation. Her new insights into the artist's work will appeal to all those intrigued by this turbulent era in Western European history.
Back Cover copy
"Mary Gibbons's appraisal provides the first scholarly study of Giambologna's remarkably original religious sculpture in relief. In their pictorial austerity and unabashedly metallic forms, Giambologna's bronze narratives present us with bold innovations. This study offers new photographic documentation, archival discoveries, and, most significantly, new ideas and fresh perceptions of Giambologna's art." (Malcolm Campbell, University of Pennsylvania)
