Brief Biography-Giovanni da Bologna, Giambologna or Jean de Boulogne, was born in Douai. In 1555 he went to Italy, spending two years in Rome before settling in Florence, where most of his works remain. His career took off with a commission from Pope Pius IV for the Neptune Fountain in Bologna, and he won commissions from several cities, including Madrid, Genoa, Paris, and Pisa. His career peaked with the Rape of the Sabines sculpture at the Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence and his Bronze statue, the Flying Mercury. However, his most striking work is the giant statue of the mountain god Appenine in the Pratolino Medici Park, which stands ten metres high. Giovanni da Bologna was rated second to Michelangelo as a sculptor until the nineteenth century.