Benedetto Antelami (c. 1150 – c. 1230)"Antelami, Benedetto" in ''

The New Encyclopædia Britannica ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

''. Chicago:

Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

, 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 441. was an Italian architect and

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

of the Romanesque school, whose "sculptural style sprang from local north Italian traditions that can be traced back to

late antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...

" Little is known about his life. He was probably originally from

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

, perhaps born in Val d'Intelvi. It is believed from the

Provençal Provençal may refer to: *Of Provence, a region of France * Provençal dialect, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the southeast of France *''Provençal'', meaning the whole Occitan language *Franco-Provençal language, a distinct Roman ...

style of his art that he served as apprentice at Saint-Trophime d'Arles. In 1178 he was at work at the

Parma Cathedral Parma Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Parma; Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Parma, Emilia-Romagna (Italy), dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Parma. I ...

, where, in the right

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

, he executed a

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

of the Deposition from the Cross. His name and the date are inscribed in the work, which, in addition to the Provençal element, shows both classical and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

influence. Later, in 1196, he was working with the sculptural decoration of the Baptistry of Parma, a building of which he was probably also the architect. Here, between 1196 and 1214, he made the

lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', "little moon") is a half-moon shaped architectural space, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be segmental, and the arch may be an arc take ...

s of the three portals: on the outside portraying the

Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, ...

, the Last Judgement and an

allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

of life, on the inside the

Flight into Egypt The flight into Egypt is a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 2:13– 23) and in New Testament apocrypha. Soon after the visit by the Magi, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to flee to Egypt with Mary and the i ...

, the

Presentation at the Temple The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (or ''in the temple'') is an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, describing his presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem, that is celebrated by many churches 40 days after Christmas on Candlemas, ...

and

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

playing the harp. Also on the interiori can be seen alto-relievo personifications of the months and the seasons. These were probably intended for a portal on the facade of the Cathedral, but the work was interrupted by Antelami’s death. There are remarkable stylistic similarities with figures on the outer arch of the

north porch North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

",John James, "Un sculpteur Chartrain en Italie", ' 'Bulletin de la société archéologique d'Eure-et-Loir' ', xxxiv 1998, 124-128. at Chartres cathedral in France in 1213. Presumably he went travelling in his 50s, and this opens the possibility that more of his work may be found along the roads he may have taken. Benedetto's sculpture is also to be found in the

Fidenza Cathedral Fidenza Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Fidenza; Cattedrale di San Donnino) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the center of the town of Fidenza, province of Parma, region of Emilia Romagna, Italy. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Fidenza, know ...

, dedicated to Saint

Domninus of Fidenza Saint Domninus of Fidenza ( it, San Donnino di Fidenza) is an Italian Catholic saint. According to tradition, he died in 304 AD and was a native of Parma. The cathedral at Fidenza (a town once called ''Borgo San Donnino'') is dedicated to him. T ...

. The main west door of the Basilica di San Marco, Venice, is also attributed by some to Antelami or his school, and the current replacement version of the Holy Face of Lucca (the ''Volto Santo'') is ascribed to his circle. Antelami's works are characteristic for their realism, and strong emotion, within the formalist context of their time.

References

Sources

* Moritz Woelk: ''Benedetto Antelami – Die Werke in Parma und Fidenza''. Rhema-Verlag, Münster 1995, {{DEFAULTSORT:Antelami, Benedetto 1150s births 1230s deaths People from the Province of Como 12th-century Italian architects 12th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors 13th-century Italian architects 13th-century Italian sculptors Romanesque artists