Arnolfo di Cambio

Arnolfo di Cambio ärnôlˈfō dē kämˈbyō [key], b. c.1245, d. before 1310, Italian architect and sculptor. He was Nicola Pisano's chief assistant on the Siena pulpit, but he soon began to work independently on important tomb sculpture. He designed admirable monuments to Cardinal Annibaldi (St. John the Lateran, Rome); Pope Adrian V (Viterbo); and Cardinal de Braye (c.1282; Orvieto). These works became the model for Gothic funerary art. Arnolfo is recognized as the foremost architect of his era. In 1296 he was in charge of construction of the cathedral in Florence. He is said to have had a hand in designing other major buildings in Florence, including the baptistery, the Church of Santa Croce, and the Palazzo Vecchio. The monumental character of Arnolfo's work has left its mark on the appearance of Florence.

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