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Giovanni Pisano was one of the most significant sculptors of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. He continued his father's interest in adapting Northern Gothic forms to an Italian context - this carving has a strong tension between naturalistic observation, and idealised forms, which is typical of Gothic art. The choice of ivory as a medium was unusual for Italy at this date, and probably reflects the desire to create an object reminiscent of the ivory sculpture being produced in Paris. The whiteness of the ivory was highlighted by the very sparing use of colour and gilding on the figure.
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