Giambologna: The Complete Sculpture

Imagine a late Renaissance sculptor who could do religious scenes with the epic grandeur of Michelangelo and then turn to extremely realistic animal figures or sensuous bronze female nudes. Giambologna (1529-1608), the quick, prolific court sculptor to Medici dukes, later a protege of Roman emperors and popes, is not well-known today though he rated a profile in Vasari's Lives. Born Jean Boulogne in what is now northern France, he migrated to Italy where he tried to break the impasse of Cellini's inbred mannerism with a sometimes glib style that drew on his earthy Flemish roots as much as it did on Greco-Roman antiques. Best known perhaps for his flying Mercury, Giambologna has a dramatic, fleshy style that seduces even when it is superficial. River-gods, allegories, reliefs and fountains are among the works surveyed in this elegantly produced study. Avery is a director at Christie's, London. (November 30)