Jonathan Cohen's photos with the keyword: pulpit

Plaster cast of a marble pulpit by Nicola Pisano, Pisa, Italy 1260, cast made by Franchi and Son, London, about 1864.

The plaster cast of a pulpit was constructed after the marble original which once stood in the Cathedral of Pisa. The pulpit has inscriptions running round the frieze and the base that make it clear that the sculptor was Giovanni Pisano (1250-1314) and that the work was completed by 1311. Reliefs show scenes from the life of Christ and the The Last Judgement. A central support comprises images of the three Virtues over a base depicting the Liberal Arts. The two supports nearest the front of the pulpit depict Christ over the Four Evangelists and Ecclesia over the four Cardinal Virtues. The original pulpit was dismantled in 1602 following a fire in the cathedral. A new pulpit by Fancelli was installed 25 years later, it used some of Pisano’s original carvings and the rest, including the narrative reliefs, were used elsewhere in the cathedral. Interest in the original appearance of the pulpit was re-awakened in the nineteenth century. Pisan sculptor Giovanni Fontana worked on a reconstruction carved from wood and in 1865 a group of British bronze sculptors produced their own reconstruction. The two reconstructions differed in detail. This cast seems to be from this 1865 reconstruction. Another copy of this cast was shown in the Exposition Universelle in Paris, in 1867.

The Hall of Architecture at the Carnegie Museum of Art displays a cast of the pulpit from Siena Cathedral. The pulpit of the Siena Cathedral which was created between the fall of 1265 and the fall of 1268 is an octagonal structure that was sculpted by Nicola Pisano and his assistants. On the eight panels, there are carved reliefs that "represent a Christological cycle from the Visitation to the Last Judgment. The Fourth Panel – which takes the central spot upon the pulpit – depicts the Massacre of the Innocents. It is the only panel that does not contain Jesus or his family. In fact it is concerned with the absence of Jesus, because it depicts King Herod’s decreeing the mass killing of the baby boys in Bethlehem to avoid the prophecy that the "King of Jews" would take his throne. This panel is a good example of Nicola’s attention to emotion and movement. The struggle between the families clutching their children and the Roman soldiers (wearing traditional roman uniform) is true classical form. None of the characters is arranged stiffly; rather they lunge, shirk and squirm which sharpens the dramatic effect. To the right of the massacre, stands the image Jesus and the Four Evangelists. This carving introduces the next relief panel depicting the Crucifixion. In the center on the panel Jesus hangs upon the cross traditionally shown with his head falling to the side and modestly covered in a loin cloth. Surrounding Jesus is a scene of onlookers and mourners. To the left of Jesus stands the image of Mary grieving. Her stance and emotion are typical of the 13th century during which it became common to depict the Virgin as swooning. This panel is also a good example of Nicola’s understanding of depth with the foreground figures being the larger than the ones in the background.