| each subject possessing its own axis in action upon a plane, and the classic sculptural style with its geometric doctrines, were brought together. The unique Italian quality of this artistic language was conceived differently by each artist, whether wanting to acknowledge its existence or not, but the value of Giovannis work takes this style into a realm of its own. The distinction that Giovanni made from other works of his time by his sculpture on the Pistoia pulpit is that his figures became more humanistic. This quality to his sculpture made him a precusor to the Renaissance, if not one of its forefathers. This will be explained in detail later during the analysis of the panels.
As for the material and tools used to execute the pulpit at Pistoia, Giovanni himself vouches for the advance in technology which came during his time. In the inscription of the pulpit mentioned above, he says that he was "blessed with greater science" than his father. This is probably in reference to the flat chisel which became prevalently used throughout Italy because of its intense undercutting and oblique angles and the chemical invention of polychrome in the decoration of the marble.
"Giovanni had to turn to the most varied technical procedures and use tools of all types and different sizes-from flat, pointed, straight and curved scalpels or chisels, in order to be able to sculpt into the |