Giovanni pisano, pulpito di sant'andrea, 1298-1301, 05

The pulpit in the ''pieve'' of Sant'Andrea,

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...

, Italy is a masterpiece by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Pisano. The work is often compared to the pulpits sculpted by Giovanni's father Nicola Pisano in the

Baptistery of Pisa The Pisa Baptistery of St. John ( it, Battistero di San Giovanni) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical building in Pisa, Italy. Construction started in 1152 to replace an older baptistery, and when it was completed in 1363, it became the second bu ...

and the Duomo of Siena, which Giovanni had assisted with. These very advanced works are often described in terms such as "proto-Renaissance", and draw on Ancient Roman sarcophagi and other influences to form a style that represents an early revival of

classical sculpture Classical sculpture (usually with a lower case "c") refers generally to sculpture from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, as well as the Hellenized and Romanized civilizations under their rule or influence, from about 500 BC to around 200 AD. It ma ...

, while also remaining Gothic, and drawing on sources such as French

ivory carving Ivory carving is the carving of ivory, that is to say animal tooth or tusk, generally by using sharp cutting tools, either mechanically or manually. Objects carved in ivory are often called "ivories". Humans have ornamentally carved ivory since ...

History

According to an inscription running between the pulpit's arcades and parapets, it was commissioned by Canon Arnoldus (Arnoldo) and supervised by the treasurers Andrea Vitelli and Tino di Vitale. Vasari says the commission was given in 1297, and the inscription records its completion in 1301. There is no false modesty: " Giovanni carved it, who performed no empty work. The son of Nicola, and blessed with higher skill, Pisa gave him birth, endowed with mastery greater than any seen before". Giovanni was approaching the age of fifty when he began the work, and had worked on his father's projects, and possibly visited France.

Description

The structure is similar to the pulpit in Pisa: a hexagonal plan with seven columns (one in the middle), two of which are supported by lions and one by a stooping figure of Atlas, while the central one rests on three winged

gryphons The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back ...

and the remaining ones on plain bases. The organization of the parapet's reliefs is inspired by the pulpit in Siena. The iconographic program is also inspired by Nicola's work, with "Allegories" in the pendentives of the arches, " Sibyls" and " Prophets standing on the capitals' tops, and the five parapets with the following scenes from the ''

Life of Christ The life of Jesus in the New Testament is primarily outlined in the four canonical gospels, which includes his genealogy and Nativity of Jesus, nativity, Ministry of Jesus, public ministry, Passion of Jesus, passion, prophecy, Resurrection of ...

'': *"

Annunciation The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...

", "Nativity" with the apocryphal detail of the midwives bathing the baby Christ and an " Annunciation to the Shepherds" *"

Dream of the Magi A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

" *" Massacre of the Innocents" *" The Crucifixion" *" Last Judgement" The sixth parapet is missing, as its side provides access to the pulpit; the original stairway has now been removed.

Style

The scenes are as crowded and dramatic as those of the Sienese pulpit. Most notable is the scene of the "Massacre of the Innocents", for which it has been supposed that Giovanni took inspiration from German models, or even from the Trajan column in Rome. One of the Sibyls, portrayed in the sudden gesture of fleeing towards an angel, is also of particular distinction. For the first time Pisano tilted the reliefs, with the upper parts projecting further than the lower, to allow for the position of the viewer below.Olson, 19 File:Giovanni pisano, aquila dal pulpito di sant'andrea di pistoia 01.JPG, The lectern, in the form of the Eagle of St John File:Pistoia chiesa san andria 007.JPG, "Massacre of the Innocents" File:Pistoia 200310 038 Crucifixion crop.JPG, ''The Crucifixion'' File:Giovanni pisano, pulpito di sant'andrea 10 crop.JPG, ''The Sybil and the Angel''

Notes

References

* * Henderson, George. ''Gothic'', 1967, Penguin, * Olson, Roberta J.M., ''Italian Renaissance Sculpture'', 1992, Thames & Hudson (World of Art), *

Pope-Hennessy, John Sir John Wyndham Pope-Hennessy (13 December 1913 – 31 October 1994), was a British art historian. Pope-Hennessy was Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum between 1967 and 1973, and Director of the British Museum between 1974 and 1976. ...

, ''Italian Gothic Sculpture'', Phaidon, 1986, * White, John. ''Art and Architecture in Italy, 1250 to 1400'', London, Penguin Books, 1966, 2nd edn 1987 (now Yale History of Art series). {{DEFAULTSORT:Pulpit Of St. Andrew 1301 works Buildings and structures in Pistoia Gothic sculptures Tourist attractions in Tuscany Monuments and memorials in Tuscany Pulpits