Giambologna: The Complete Sculpture

Giambologna (1529-1608) was the greatest sculptor of the age of Mannerism, imposing his distinctive and seductive style on the half-century between the death of Michelangelo in 1564 and the emergence of Bernini. Through the distribution of his bronze statuettes, his influence spread throughout Europe. Charles Avery's major new critical study of Giambologna is the first full-scale monograph to be published in any language for many years, thus filling a notable gap in the literature on Italian art and European sculpture. The author deals with the artist's Flemish background, his career in Italy, the development of his style, his technique and working methods, and his entire oeuvre, with separate chapters on marble statuary, bronze statuettes, devotional and narrative works, portraits and animal sculpture, fountains and equestrian monuments. Many critical aspects of Giambologna's work are discussed, including his contribution to Mannerism and his place in the wider European tradition. The book concludes with a summary catalogue of all Giambologna's known works. The principal photographs have been specially taken by David Finn, internationally recognized for his outstanding work as a photographer of sculpture. They give a new insight into Giambologna's imaginative powers and technical virtuosity. With 342 illustrations, 16 in color.