Sculpture in site: Examining the relationship between sculpture and site in the principal works of Giambologna

It is often said that the best understanding of a given situation requires the broadest scope of vision. Yet this is seldom taken literally. If we take a step back from conducting an analysis of every inch of a sculpture’s surface and choose to look around the sculpture and understand its site, a whole new perspective reveals itself. This is the approach that I propose in my thesis. Taking three principal works of Giambologna—Fountain of Neptune, Appennino, and Ratto delle Sabine—as case studies, I examine how sculptures respond to their sites, be it through design choices made during production, or how the sculptural elements were impacted by installing them in the given sites. I analyse the spaces of the sites in relation to the sculptures, seeking to determine how the sculptures changed or enhanced their sites, and how the spaces influenced the ways in which viewers engaged with the sculptures. Throughout this discussion, my goal is to characterise the nature of the relationship between the sculptures and sites, whether on a physical level or a conceptual level. I argue that divorcing a sculpture from its site robs the spectator, or student, of much needed context, without which the sculptures cannot be wholly understood and appreciated. I demonstrate the importance of understanding the original spaces, physical and conceptual, in order to remove anachronism from the perception of a given sculpture.