Pulpit of Sant' Andrea, Pistoia (Giovanni Pisano)
The pulpit in the
These very advanced works are often described in terms such as "proto-Renaissance", and draw on Ancient Roman
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.
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 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:
- "Annunciation to the Shepherds"
- "Dream of the Magi"
- "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
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The eagle lectern, in the form of the Eagle of St John
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"Massacre of the Innocents"
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The Crucifixion
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The Sybil and the Angel
Notes
References
- De Vecchi, Pierluigi; Elda Cerchiari (1999). I tempi dell'arte. Vol. 1. Milan: ISBN 88-451-7107-8.
- Henderson, George. Gothic, 1967, Penguin, ISBN 0140208062
- Olson, Roberta J.M., Italian Renaissance Sculpture, 1992, Thames & Hudson (World of Art), ISBN 978-0-500-20253-1
- ISBN 0714824151
- ISBN 0140561285