Giambologna
Netherlandish
No Portrait Available
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.
Sculptures by Giambologna
4 sculptures catalogued with museum locations. Browse all sculptures
Museums with Giambologna's Work
2 museums display Giambologna's works. Click any museum to see visiting info and the specific works they hold.
About Giambologna
The Rape of the Sabine Women (1583) in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence is his masterpiece. Standing over 13 feet tall, it was the first large marble group designed to be viewed from every angle.
His major works stand in Florence: the Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazza della Signoria, and the Bargello Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, the V&A in London, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna hold smaller bronzes.
Giambologna was a Mannerist sculptor, working in the elegant, elongated style that followed the High Renaissance. His figures twist and spiral upward, creating complex compositions meant to be walked around rather than viewed from one spot.
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