Giambologna's bronze pictures

Abstract

This dissertation examines two bronze narrative relief cycles executed by Giambologna for the third Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinando I de’Medici. The reliefs destined for the Cosimo I Equestrian Monument and the Jerusalem Ornamento formed part of larger monuments, one secular and one sacred, both designed to convey specific messages about Ferdinando and the state of Tuscany under his rule. The two cycles are analyzed in terms of Giambologna as a relief sculptor, cinquecento art theory, in particular the paragone, and the influence of Counter-Reformation mandates on the depiction of religious imagery. As Giambologna’s reliefs are closely connected to pre-existing two-dimensional precedents, the sculptor’s knowledge and understanding of the paragone is evident. Ultimately, however, it is argued that Giambologna’s reliefs re-defined the paragone debate, shifting the focus from the relative merits of painting and sculpture to the symbiotic relationship between the two media. Giambologna’s reconciliation of the three-dimensionality of sculpture and the two-dimensionality of painting through relief is realized in these two outstanding cycles that are truly pictures in bronze.