Nicola Pisano

Nicola Pisano was a sculptor, probably from Apulia in southern Italy, who settled in Pisa and is often seen as the founder of modern sculpture in Italy. His marble pulpit for the Pisa Baptistery, finished in 1260, draws directly on ancient Roman sarcophagi, giving its figures a weight and dignity new to the period. With his son Giovanni and Arnolfo di Cambio he then carved the pulpit of Siena Cathedral and the Fontana Maggiore in Perugia. His son Giovanni carried on his workshop.