Sant’Andrea Pulpit (Pistoia Pulpit) and Annunciation and Nativity detail - Giovanni Pisano, 1298-1301
Here comes Nicola’s son Giovanni, putting his own spin on the business of making pulpits. Giovanni originally started working with his father, and had a lot of random side projects; he didn’t get this commission until later in his life, and even then, it was only for a small church. The pointed arches reflect a more gothic influence than Nicola’s pulpits. The sculpture in the Annunciation and Nativity scene are more deeply undercut (something Giovanni could achieve because the stone was soft), giving them more of a chiaroscuro aspect. There’s also more realism and naturalism in the narratives up top; the figures are arranged in a fluid, circular arrangement, with lots of diagonals to enliven and tighten the composition.
