Madonna

The rhythmic configuration of the sculptural masses of this Madonna, and the “beauty of line” that results, attest to Giovanni Pisano’s familiarity with French Gothic cathedral sculpture. The infant is far out to one side beyond the Madonna’s bodily contours, and the nicely balanced weighting gives the statuette an undulant S-shape, from the right foot to the head. The most important Italian Gothic sculptor crafted this small piece fully from every angle, with a rich sense of the monumental. The eye contact of mother and child represents the artistic high point of this composition. In May 1945, the sculpture was badly damaged.