Bologna, Giovanni, or Giambologna (jōvänˈnē bōlōˈnyä,
jämˌbōlōˈnyä) [key], 1524–1608, Flemish sculptor, whose real
name was Jean Bologne or Boulogne. Though born in Douai, France,
he trained in Flanders. He is identified chiefly with the
Italian Renaissance as one of its greatest sculptors. He lived
briefly in Rome before moving to Florence. His masterpiece,
Flying Mercury, is in the Bargello, Florence. The Rape of the
Sabines (Florence), with its spiraling forms and multiple
viewpoints, is one of the finest examples of mannerist
sculpture. This work exerted a profound influence on later art.
Among his other works are the equestrian statues in Florence of
the Medicis, one of Ferdinand I (see Browning's poem "The Statue
and the Bust") and another of Cosimo I; two fountains in the
Boboli Gardens, Florence; the bronze doors of the cathedral in
Pisa; a Neptune fountain in Bologna; and the colossal statue
Apennines at Pratolino. There are two of Giambologna's elegant
statuettes of the Evangelists in the Metropolit