Giambologna

Giambologna (1529-1608) was a Flemish sculptor who became the most influential sculptor in Italy during the late 16th century. Born Jean Boulogne in Douai (modern Belgium), he traveled to Rome to study classical sculpture and then settled in Florence, where he spent the rest of his career as court sculptor to the Medici family.

His Rape of the Sabine Women in the Loggia dei Lanzi is the first large-scale sculpture designed to be viewed from every angle, a breakthrough in Renaissance sculpture. His bronze Mercury, balanced on one foot atop a puff of wind, became one of the most copied sculptures in Europe. Our collection includes 4 works at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Met.