Pisano, Niccola
Pisano, Niccola
Earliest of great Italian sculptors. Probably born c.1207 in Apulia, Italy; died in 1278 in Pisa, Italy. He is famous for the hexagonal pulpit of the baptistery of Pisa, a combination of French Gothic design in the trefoil arches and sculptured capitals, with classic influence in the figures and reliefs. Three of its columns rest on lions. The reliefs of the balustrade give scenes from the New Testament. His octagonal pulpit in the cathedral of Siena is more elaborate, but lacks the unity of the first. He designed the beautiful fountain of Perugia, and executed most of its statuettes. One of his earliest works was the Descent from the Cross in the tympanum of the Lucca cathedral.
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Pisano, Niccola
Architect and sculptor, b. at Pisa about 1205-07; d. there, 1278. He was the father of modern plastic art. When barely past adolescence, he came to the notice of Frederick II of Swabia who took him to attend his coronation in Rome, thence to Naples, to complete Castel Capuano and Castel dell’Uovo (1221-31). In 1233 Niccola was in Lucca; the alto-rilievo of the Deposition over the side door of the cathedral may be of this date. The marble urn or Arca made to contain the body of St. Dominic in the church bearing his name in Bologna, is said to be an early work, but shows maturity; the charming group of the Madonna and Child upon it, foreshadows all the Madonnas of Italian art. From Niccola’s designs was built the famous basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, the church of the Frari in Venice is also attributed to him, possibly on insufficient grounds. In Florence he designed the interior of Sta. Trinità which Michelangelo loved so much that he called it his lady, “la mia Dama”. Having been ordered by the Ghibellines to destroy the baptistery frequented by the Guelphs, Niccola undermined the tower called Guardo-morto, causing it to so fall that it did not touch the precious edifice. On his return to Pisa, the architect erected the campanile for the church of S. Niccolò which contains the remarkable winding stair unsupported at its centre; an invention repeated by Bramante for the “Belvedere”, and by San Gallo in the renowned well at Orvieto. In 1242 Niccola superintended the building of the cathedral of Pistoja, and in 1263 the restoration of S. Pietro Maggiore. He remodelled S. Domenico at Arezzo, the Duomo at Volterra, the Pieve and Sta. Margherita at Cortona. Much of his work at Pisa is believed to have perished in the fire of 1610. A wonderful creation (1260) is the hexagonal, insulated pulpit of the baptistery. It is supported by seven columns, three of them resting on lions. The panels have reliefs from the New Testament; the pediments, figures of virtues; the spandrels, prophets and evangelists. The architectural part is Italian Gothic: the sculptures are mainly pure reproductions of the antique. A second pulpit for the Duomo of Siena followed in 1266. Niccola’s early sculpture shows clumsiness, if we are to believe that the figures outside the Misericordia Vecchia in Florence are his. In later life, whether from Rome or from his own Camposanto at Pisa (Roman sarcophagus used for the Countess Beatrice of Tuscany; Greek vase with figures he reproduced) he learned to create with the freedom, beauty, and power of ancient art. Ruhmer suggests aptly that he may have used clay for his initial model, a method then unpractised in Italy. One of Niccola’s last works in architecture was the abbey and church of La Scorgola, commemorating Charles of Anjou’s victory at Tagliacozzo, now in ruins; in sculpture, the statuettes for the famous Fonte Maggiore at Perugia, erected after his design (1277-80).
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CICOGNARA, Storia della scultura (Venice, 1813); PERKINS, Tuscan sculptors (London, 1864); LÜBKE, History of sculpture, tr. BURNETT (London, 1862-72).
M.L. HANDLEY Transcribed by Richard Hemphill
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XICopyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Pisano, Niccola
a noted Italian architect and sculptor, was born at Pisa about 1206. At the age of fifteen he was appointed architect to Frederick II, with whom he went to Naples. In the service of this sovereign he passed ten years, and then went to Padua, where he made the design for the Basilica di S. Antonio. The first known attempt which he made as a sculptor resulted in his alto-rilievo of the Deposition from the Cross which now fills a lunette over a door of the cathedral of S. Martino at Lucca. This is most excellent as the work of an untutored artist, as he was at that time, and it shines by comparison with works of his contemporaries which are near it. The statuettes of the Misericordia Vecchia at Florence are of about the same merit as this bass-relief. In 1248 Niccola went to Florence to assist the Ghibellines in their work of destruction; he was commissioned to overturn the tower called Guardamorto in such a way as to destroy the Baptistery; he overturned the tower, but it did not fall in the anticipated direction, and we may believe that this was in accordance with his intention, although it was attributed to a special miracle by Villani. During tie twelve succeeding years he was employed in making designs for the building and remodeling of many churches and palaces. The church of Santa Trinita at Florence is one of the best known of his works of this period. In 1260 Niccola established his fame as a sculptor by the magnificent pulpit which he executed for the Baptistery at Pisa. Of course marks of his comparative inexperience can be found in this work, but taken all in all it almost challenges criticism. His next work was the Arca di S. Domenico at Bologna, which is now surrounded with a maze of beautiful sculptures, of which the Arca is the center, and is of great interest as illustrating the art of the 13th century. In 1266 Pisalno went to Siena to make the pulpit for the Duomo. This is similar to that of Pisa in many ways, but not so effective, because surrounded by other objects of interest, and in a larger space, while at Pisa the pulpit seems almost the only thing to attract the attention. In 1269 he was commissioned to build the abbey and convent of. La Scorgola, which are now in ruins. In 1274 he commenced the fountain of Perugia, which was his last work. The authorities of the city made severe laws for its preservation, and it was considered the most precious possession of the city. In 1278 Pisano died, after a life of great usefulness, for his influence had been felt through all Italy. His services could never be estimated. He had founded a new school of sculpture; had put behind him the standards of barbarism; in architecture too, the same may be said, and in the words of Mr. Perkins, He was truly a great man, one to whom the world owes an eternal debt of gratitude, and who looms up in gigantic proportions through the mist of five centuries, holding the same relation to Italian art which Dante holds to Italian literature. In his life he was respected and beloved by all who came in contact with him, be it as patron, friend, of servant.