5.11 Introduction to Fourteenth-Century Italian Art

The fourteenth century in Italy was a period of tremendous transition:

• Political: while the rest of Europe was ruled by feudal monarchies, the city-states of Italy emerged as independent republics, enabled by their immense wealth generated by trade.
• Social: the plague swept through Italy during the fourteenth century further disrupting the established Medieval order.
• Religious: the Western church suffered the Great Schism.
• Literary: the vernacular language (i.e., the common spoken tongue, as opposed to Latin) asserted itself mightily in literary circles, as seen in the masterworks penned by Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio.

This newfound independence and accompanying disruption of the established order revealed itself in the world of art as well. Fourteenth-century Italian art, especially in painting and sculpture, broke dramatically from Medieval forms and literally paved the way for the Golden Age of Western art, the Renaissance. It is for this reason that many scholars refer to the this period as the high point of the so-called Proto-Renaissance.

Nicola Pisano

Before we begin our discussion of fourteenth-century Italian art in earnest, it is fitting that we study two late thirteenth-century sculptors who had a tremendous influence on later artists.

This first of these two influential artists is Nicola Pisano, whose most important work is a hexagonal marble pulpit, carved for the Pisa baptistery in 1260. As we can see below, the pulpit reflects both the Gothic style (note for instance the trefoil arches) as well as an apparent interest in classical form. Certainly, the rectangular panels recall Roman sarcophagus reliefs to which Nicola had much access.

In our detail of the Adoration of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), notice how tightly packed, yet completely serene is the composition. The poses (especially the Virgin's) and the deep carving of the beards and hair also reveal a classical inspiration. Of course, the linear and angular drapery folds, along with the stiffness of motion, still ultimately define this piece as Late Medieval. Yet, the work does clearly establish a novel trend towards classicism that will literally burst forth in the following two centuries.

Nicola Pisano - "The Adoration of the Magi" from the Pisa baptistery pulpit (ca. mid 13C) from the Web Gallery of Art

Nicola's son, too, sculpted a pulpit, this time for the church of Sant' Andrea in Pistoia (ca. late 13C), but the son's work differed considerably from the father's idealized classical composition.

In our panel relief detail (below) of the Massacre of the Innocents (Matthew 2:13-18), we have a stark contrast from Nicola's peaceful, generally angular composition. Here, we see randomly placed and deeply carved figures whose bodies twist and bend and recoil in a swirling, curvilinear composition. The emotional content is also intense as terrified mothers struggle to save, or weep over, their infant sons.

Giovanni Pisano - "The Massacre of the Innocents" from the pulpit of Sant' Andrea (ca. late 13C) from the Web Gallery of Art

This movement towards naturalism would have a tremendous effect on later artists, as we shall see. This trend, combined with the classical elements inspired by Nicola's work, would serve as the very foundation of fourteenth-century Italian art and ultimately the Renaissance itself.

• Giovanni Pisano - "The Massacre of the Innocents" (ca. late 13C)

• Proto-Renaissance