Pulpit of St. Andrew
Encyclopedia
The pulpit in the church of Sant' Andrea, Pistoia is a masterpiece of 1301 by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Pisano
, in the pieve of Sant'Andrea, Pistoia
, Italy
.
The work is often compared to the pulpits sculpted by Giovanni's father Nicola Pisano
, in the Baptistery of Pisa and the Duomo of Siena. According to an inscription running between the pulpit's arcades and parapets, it was commissioned by one Arnoldo together with the treasurers Andrea Vitelli and Tino di Vitale, celebrating Giovanni who "was able to surpass his father in wisdom" with this work.
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 gryphon
s 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 pendentive
s of the arches, "Sibyl
s" and "Prophet
s standing on the capitals' tops, and the five parapets with the following scenes from the Life of Christ
:
The sixth parapet is missing, as its side provides access to the pulpit.
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 Sibyl
s, portrayed in the sudden gesture of fleeing towards an angel, is also of particular distinction.
Giovanni Pisano
Giovanni Pisano was an Italian sculptor, painter and architect. Son of the famous sculptor Nicola Pisano, he received his training in the workshop of his father....
, in the pieve of Sant'Andrea, Pistoia
Pistoia
Pistoia is a city and comune in the Tuscany region of Italy, the capital of a province of the same name, located about 30 km west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno.-History:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The work is often compared to the pulpits sculpted by Giovanni's father Nicola Pisano
Nicola Pisano
Nicola Pisano was an Italian sculptor whose work is noted for its classical Roman sculptural style. Pisano is sometimes considered to be the founder of modern sculpture.- Early life :His birth date or origins are uncertain...
, in the Baptistery of Pisa and the Duomo of Siena. According to an inscription running between the pulpit's arcades and parapets, it was commissioned by one Arnoldo together with the treasurers Andrea Vitelli and Tino di Vitale, celebrating Giovanni who "was able to surpass his father in wisdom" with this work.
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
Atlas (architecture)
In the classical European architectural tradition an atlas is a support sculpted in the form of a man, which may take the place of a column, a pier or a pilaster...
, while the central one rests on three winged gryphon
Gryphon
-Businesses:* Gryphon Airlines, an American-owned airline based in Vienna, Virginia* Gryphon Audio Designs, a Danish maker of audio components* Golden Gryphon Press, an American independent publishing company...
s 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 pendentive
Pendentive
A pendentive is a constructive device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. The pendentives, which are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to points at the bottom and spread at the top to establish the continuous circular or...
s of the arches, "Sibyl
Sibyl
The word Sibyl comes from the Greek word σίβυλλα sibylla, meaning prophetess. The earliest oracular seeresses known as the sibyls of antiquity, "who admittedly are known only through legend" prophesied at certain holy sites, under the divine influence of a deity, originally— at Delphi and...
s" and "Prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
s standing on the capitals' tops, and the five parapets with the following scenes from the Life of Christ
Life of Christ
The Life of Christ as a narrative cycle in Christian art comprises a number of different subjects, which were often grouped in series or cycles of works in a variety of media, narrating the life of Jesus on earth, as distinguished from the many other subjects in art showing the eternal life of...
:
- "AnnunciationAnnunciationThe Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
", "Nativity", apocryphal scene of "Midwifes Bathing Christ Child" and "Annunciation to the ShepherdsAnnunciation to the shepherdsThe Annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the Nativity of Jesus described in the Bible in Luke 2, in which angels tell a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus...
" - "Dream of the Magi"
- "Massacre of the InnocentsMassacre of the InnocentsThe Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of infanticide by the King of Judea, Herod the Great. According to the Gospel of Matthew Herod orders the execution of all young male children in the village of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth...
" - "Crucifixion"
- "Last Judgement"
The sixth parapet is missing, as its side provides access to the pulpit.
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
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. One of the Sibyl
Sibyl
The word Sibyl comes from the Greek word σίβυλλα sibylla, meaning prophetess. The earliest oracular seeresses known as the sibyls of antiquity, "who admittedly are known only through legend" prophesied at certain holy sites, under the divine influence of a deity, originally— at Delphi and...
s, portrayed in the sudden gesture of fleeing towards an angel, is also of particular distinction.