born 0441; 1245, Colle di Val d'Elsa
died 1301/10, Florence
Italian sculptor and architect active in Florence.
He studied under Nicola Pisano and assisted him on the pulpit for Siena Cathedral (126568). In 1277 he went to Rome, where he worked for Charles of Anjou, king of Sicily. He also designed and constructed monuments, including the tomb of Cardinal de Braye in San Domenico, Orvieto. In 1296 Arnolfo returned to Florence to undertake his most important commission, the design of the Duomo (the cathedral of Florence) and the carving of statues for its facade. Other buildings in Florence attributed to him include the Palazzo Vecchio and the church of Santa Croce. The structural and decorative elements of Santa Croce and the Duomo have a unity, balance, and a lightness of movement that demonstrate Arnolfo's complete mastery of the late 13th-century Gothic architectural vocabulary. His works embody the transition between the late Gothic and Renaissance architectural sensibilities