Nanni di Banco

Son of sculptor and stone mason Antonio di Banco, Nanni di Banco (1384–1421) was a Florentine sculptor at the dawn of the Renaissance. Along with his contemporaries Donatello and Ghiberti, he was responsible for the move away from the late Gothic to more individualistic, natural looking figures, although more than the others he was inspired by Roman models.

Unlike his far better known colleagues, however, Nanni died fairly young. In his day, however, he was one of the leading members of the guild of stonemasons and woodcarvers (Maestri di Pietra e di Legname). Although it was one of lesser guilds, Nanni was important enough to be chosen in 1418 as one of the twelve Buonuomini, a rare achievement for a sculptor.