Italian (Sienese) · Gothic
Giovanni di Cecco
b. active c. 1350–1380s, Siena — d. after c. 1380
Giovanni di Cecco was a fourteenth-century Sienese architect and sculptor who directed the completion of Siena Cathedral's upper facade in a richly decorated Gothic style and carved the font of San Gimignano.
1 work in the collection
Works by Giovanni di Cecco
Giovanni di Cecco was a Sienese architect and sculptor of the later fourteenth century, best known for completing the upper facade of Siena Cathedral. Little is known of his life beyond his documented works.
Siena Cathedral's facade
The facade of Siena Cathedral was begun by Giovanni Pisano around 1284, who designed and sculpted the lower part with its three portals and figures of prophets and sibyls. After Pisano's departure, work continued under several masters, including Camaino di Crescentino, but the upper half remained unfinished for decades while the city's resources went into an ambitious and ultimately abandoned plan to enlarge the cathedral.
Giovanni di Cecco took charge of the upper facade in the second half of the fourteenth century; the exact date is uncertain, and the facade was finished around the 1370s–80s. He seems to have modified earlier designs toward a more vertical and ornamental Gothic, with tall pointed gables, pinnacles and crockets, in the manner of the facade of Orvieto Cathedral, where Sienese masters also worked. The large rose window and the mosaics of the gables belong to this upper zone. The result is the striking contrast between the solid, sculptural lower facade and the lacy, pinnacled upper one that visitors see today.
The San Gimignano font
As a sculptor he carved the hexagonal baptismal font of the Collegiate Church (Collegiata) of San Gimignano, with relief panels including the Baptism of Christ. The font is signed and was commissioned by the town's wool guild; it now stands in the loggia beside the church, beneath a fresco of the Annunciation by Sebastiano Mainardi.
Gothic Siena
Giovanni di Cecco belongs to the last phase of Sienese Gothic, when the city's painters (Simone Martini, the Lorenzetti brothers) and builders had made it one of the most refined artistic centers in Europe before the Black Death of 1348 cut its population and ambitions. Explore more in Gothic Art.
Where to see his work
The upper facade of Siena Cathedral, best seen from the Piazza del Duomo in the late afternoon light, and the font at San Gimignano.
Questions & answers
Who finished the facade of Siena Cathedral?
The lower facade was designed by Giovanni Pisano from about 1284. The upper facade was completed in the later fourteenth century under the direction of Giovanni di Cecco, in a more ornate Gothic style with tall gables and pinnacles influenced by Orvieto Cathedral.
Why does Siena Cathedral's facade look like two different styles?
Its two halves were built about a century apart. Giovanni Pisano's lower facade, from the 1280s–90s, is sculptural and solid; the upper facade, finished under Giovanni di Cecco in the later 1300s, is lighter and more decorative, with pinnacles and gables.
What did Giovanni di Cecco make in San Gimignano?
He carved the hexagonal baptismal font of the Collegiata of San Gimignano, with relief panels including the Baptism of Christ. It was commissioned by the wool guild and stands in the loggia beside the church.