The origins of Nicola Pisano may lie in Apulia, where he may have been influenced by Emperor Frederick II's attempts to imbue his court with a classical atmosphere by commissioning works of art executed in the ancient Roman style.

In any case, Pisano, who had moved to Pisa between 1245 and 1250, where his son Giovanni was born, is among the first of the Gothic sculptors to draw inspiration from antique sources and to assimilate classical style.

He had received a commission for the pulpit in the baptistery of Pisa around 1255.

In this pulpit, considered one of his masterworks, he succeeds in making a synthesis of the French Gothic style with the Classical style of ancient Rome, as he had seen on the sarcophagi of the Camposanto in Pisa, such as the scene Meleager hunting the Calydonian Boar on a sarcophagus brought as booty to Pisa by its navy.

The influence of Hellenistic sarcophagi is apparent in the nude (surprisingly) Hercules figure representing Fortitude, and in the expressive but restrained narrative relief panels of the life of Christ, executed by Pisano, in the Late Romanesque style, for the hexagonal pulpit, completed in 1259.

He has been aided by several assistants, among whom are Arnolfo di Cambio and Lapo di Ricevuto.

Between 1260 and 1264, he will complete the work of the architect Diotisalvi on the dome of the baptistery, increasing its height with a system of two domes: a small truncated cone on top of the hemispherical dome.

Nicola Pisano’s pulpit for the cathedral at Siena, on which his son Giovanni also works extensively with the assistance of Anolfo di Cambio, Lapo di Ricevuto and several other artists, features striking re-creations of classical art.

Although similar to the Pisa pulpit, the Siena pulpit, constructed from 1265-68 in Carrara marble, reflects the French-Gothic influenced intrusion of softer and more flowing forms.

This is the earliest remaining work in the cathedral.

Nicola Pisano had been given this commission due to his fame by the Pisa pulpit.

This pulpit, resembling the Pisa pulpit but larger, is even more ambitious and is considered his masterpiece.

The whole message of the pulpit is concerned with the doctrine of Salvation and the Last Judgment.

Father-and-son architects Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, in designing the “Fontana Maggiore” completed in 1278 for the main square of Perugia, are the first to exploit the (now-familiar) decorative effect of water cascading from a central spout.

The fountain is part of program of civic improvements begun in 1278 to celebrate the autonomy of the free commune of Perugia.

On the twenty-five sides of the basin are sculptures representing prophets and saints, the labors of the months, the signs of the zodiac, scenes from Genesis, and events from Roman history.

The fountain’s relief figures reveal both classical and Gothic influences.

The façade of Siena Cathedral is one of the most fascinating in all of Italy and certainly one of the most impressive features in Siena.

Each of the cardinal points (west, east, north, and south) has its own distinct work; by far the most impressive of these is the west façade.

Acting as the main entryway to the Duomo proper, it boasts three portals, the central one capped by a bronze-work sun.

Built in two stages and combining elements of French Gothic, Tuscan Romanesque architecture, and Classical architecture, the west façade is a beautiful example of Sienese workmanship.

Work begins on the lower part around 1284.

Built using polychrome marble, the work is overseen by Giovanni Pisano whose work on the Duomo’s façade and pulpit is influenced by his father Nicola Pisano.