Pierino da Vinci: A Sculptor Shaped by Michelangelo’s Shadow Pierino da Vinci (c. 1529 – 1553/54), born Pier Francesco di Bartolomeo di Ser Piero da Vinci, stands as a fascinating figure within the Italian Renaissance—a sculptor whose legacy remains largely obscured yet undeniably imbued with the spirit of Michelangelo. Unlike his globally renowned uncle, Leonardo da Vinci, biographical information about Pierino is scarce, primarily gleaned from Giorgio Vasari’s “Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects,” a chronicle rife with anecdote and legend that complicates any a…