The Curious Case of the "Chiarito Tabernacle": A New Interpretation

The Curious Case of the "Chiarito Tabernacle": A New Interpretation
Author(s): Christopher R. Lakey
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Getty Research Journal, No. 4 (2012), pp. 13-30
Published by: J. Paul Getty Trust
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The
Curious
A New
Case
of the
Chiarito
Tabernacle:
Interpretation
R. Lakey
Christopher
I
to Florentine
layman,
legend,in 1328ChiaritodelVoglia,a wealthy
According
while
to
the
tomb.
a
vision
of
Saint
Zenobius
sainťs
tending
experiencedlife-altering
cladinwhiteponthenominalfirst
Zenobius,
appearedto Chiarito
bishopofFlorence,
himofa lingering
throat
tifical
andblessedhimwitha signofthecross,curing
vestments
tooka vowofchastity
anddevoted
hislifetothecareof
ailment.
Soonthereafter,
Chiarito
Fiesole.1Perhapsbecause
nunsandotherchastewomeninFlorenceandneighboring
ofhischaritable
nature,Chiaritowaspronetovisionsofthedivine,themostfamous
inpaint.Justbeneaththe
ofwhichtheFlorentine
artistPacinodi Bonaguidarecorded
whichdominates
ofChrist
andtheApostles,
thecentral
panel
majestic
gildedgessorelief
Tabernacle
Pacino
three
scenes
of
Museum'sChiarito
oftheJ.PaulGetty
(fig.1),
painted
beforea priestandawaiting
Communion.
Twoofthescenesrepthevisionary
kneeling
whileinprayer:
atthefarleft,a hostsprouting
resentvisionsthatChiarito
experienced
on
an
at
the
farright,
wheatshaftsis prominently
Chiaritoanticipates
altar;
displayed
inflight.2
Inthe
thehost,whichPacinoshowsas a homuncular
crucified
Christ
ingesting
thehostfrom
a priest.
thirdscene(betweenthetwovisions),Chiarito
receives
tothealtarpiece's
Theseperipheral
scene,locatedin
principal
episodesarerelated
in
Pacino
a
frontal
theupperregister.
cross-nimbed
Christ
Here, sculpted
form,
depicts
midairagainsta goldbackground
incisedwithgeometric
clothed
forms.
Christ,
hovering
bookinhislefthandandgreetsbeholders
ina
ina regalgown,holdsa jewel-encrusted
Thirteen
goldenraysemanatefromhisnavel:
gestureofblessingwithhisright.
typical
him(sixoneitherside);the
twelveraysenterthemouthsoftheApostles
whosurround
thepicture
thirteenth
entering
spacebelowandintegratraydividesthepanelvertically,
ofthis
ingwiththehostthatthepriestplacesinChiaritoimouth.Thesubjectmatter
Richard
wrote
the
in
scholars
since
Offner
first
about
The
scenehasintrigued
piece 1947.3
whichOffner
identifies
as theLastSupper(Communion
oftheApostles)
upperregister,
recentinterpretations
thathingeonthegrowing
(fig.2),hasbeenthefocusofnumerous
ofdevotionalpracticesinthelaterMiddleAges,inparticular
Eucharisprivatization
In spiteofthisflurry
ofattention,
tiedevotion.4
scholarshavebeensomewhat
muteon
the
theiconographie
between
central
and
the
outer
and
relationship
panel
panels have
notidentified
theprogram's
targetaudience,whichI suggestwasa groupofreligious
R.Lakey
Research
no.4 (2012):
Journal,
13-30©2012Christopher
Getty
13
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diBonaguida
active
ca.1302-40).
TheChiarito
ca.1340s,
Tabernacle,
(Italian,
Fig.i. Pacino
gilded
x
x
and
on
cm
11
V16
Los
J.
Paul
Museum
97.2
28.7
gesso temperapanel,
(38У4
in.). Angeles, Getty
(85.PB.311)
women.5
a number
ofobservations
theprominent
roleofreliByconsidering
concerning
ofsightandtouchmediated
giouswomenintheouterpanelsandtheimportance
through
theinnovative
use ofreliefinthecentralpanel,a morenuancedinterpretation
ofthis
Inmyview,Pacino'stabernacle
a cohesiveargument
objectemerges.
presents
regarding
howChiaritoivisionary
established
him
as
an
of
the
chaste
and
experiences
exemplar
ofnunsandyoungwomen.
holylifeanda suitableguardian
II
Therecanbe no doubtas towhythecentralpanelhasreceivedmoreattention
thantheouterwings:thebizarre,
andtheesoteric
visionary
qualityoftheiconography
mediumofgildedgessoreliefaredelectablyintriguing
to scholarsofmedievaland
Renaissanceart,inviting
theiranalysisandinterpretation.
Themostdifficult
motifs
tounderstand
inthispanelarethegoldenraysissuingfromChrist'snavel.Thereis no
knownvisualortextualprecedent
forthisimagery,
andÖffner
theraysarefissuggests
usedto imbibethewine/blood
ofChristduringcommunion
tulae,orliturgical
straws,
ceremonies.6
Seeninthislight,
Pacino'ssymbolic
rendering
depictstheApostlesusing
14
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active
ca.1302-40).
diBonaguida
TheChiarito
Tabernacle
(Italian,
(detail
showing
Fig.2.Pacino
ca.
and
on
thelarge
central
97.2x28.7cm(38У4x11V16
panel), 1340s,
gilded
gesso temperapanel,
in.).
LosAngeles,
J.PaulGetty
Museum
(85.PB.311)
Tabernacle 15
LakeyTheChiarito
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feedoffChrist'simmaculate
instruments
toliterally
antiqueliturgical
body.Sincethe
theCommunion
oftheApostleshasbeenunderstood
as theinstitradition,
patristic
To takejustoneexample,inSaintAugustine
ofHiptutionoftheliturgical
Eucharist.
ontheGospel
thebishopunderstood
ofJohn,
po's accountofthisepisodeinhisTractates
reenacted
theinstitutionalization
of
Christ'ssalvific
as symbolically
blessing,
through
theEucharistie
rite.7
Forthisreason,traditional
ofthis
meal,tobe a liturgical
depictions
totheApostlesfrombehindan altar,as
sceneshowChristadministering
Communion
from
the
on an earlyByzantine
mid-sixth
paten
century
(fig.3),orarounda tableinan
iteration
oftheLastSupper.8
In thecontextofOffner's
thestrange
ofPacino'swork
iconography
argument,
a morevernacular
andmystical
ofthescene,onethatis subcouldsignify
interpretation
inthe
medieval
discourses
on
Eucharistie
vision.
stantiated
Theological
developments
by
thirteenth
theFourth
LateranCouncil'sdoctrinization
ofthedogma
century,
especially
in1264,andthe
in1215,
thefounding
oftheFeastofCorpusChristi
oftransubstantiation
oftheElevation
oftheHost,catalyzed
thepopularity
ofEucharistie
institutionalization
Atstakewasaccesstothetransubstantiated
of
Christ
both
and
devotion.9
body
visually
Massandconsuming
his
materially:
seeingthehostas therealpresenceofChristduring
Thegrowing
ofthevisualization
ofthe
Communion.
importance
bodyandbloodduring
boththeinstituledtoanabundance
ofnewimagesacrossmediathatreflected
Eucharist
oftherituals,
oftheElevation
oftheHostintheGetty's
tionalcharacter
as ina depiction
psalterbytheMasteroftheBrusselsInitials(fig.4), andthemore
fourteenth-century
visionsdepictedinthelowerregister
of
natureoftherite,as inChiarito's
personalized
InthewakeofOfïher's
recentcommentathecentral
interpretation,
panelbyPacino.10
havenotedtheconnection
between
thecentral
torsontheChiarito
Tabernacle
paneland
onthevisibleandtheinvisible:
Pacinographically
inscribed
the
Eucharistie
discourses
hasarguedthatthe
visibleas thehost.KlausKrüger
processofChrist's
bodybecoming
literalization
of
the
work'siconography
transubstantiation
becausethefispointstothe
tothebodyofChrist.
VictorSchmidt
as thehost,areconnected
Likewise,
tulae,
doubling
betweenEucharistie
thatPacino'swork"demonstrates
therelationship
hasremarked
andthedesiretobe granted
a visionofChristinyetanother
devotion
fashion,"
namely,
in
inthefigure
the
the
host.11
of homunculus-Christ
present
ofthesceneofChrist
andtheApostles
However
Ofïher's
interpretation
ingenious
ofreasons.WhileitiscleartheApostles
tofully
maybe,itisdifficult
accept,fora number
fromChrist,
thepaneldoesnot
andChiaritoarereceiving
somekindofnourishment
in
the
of
the
a
which
sacerdotal
Communion
undertones
depict
Apostles,subject
weighty
- buthecannot
theholysustenance
aretypically
Chiarito
receives
Communion,
present.
He wasnota member
oftheapostolicpriesthood,
andthereadminister
Communion.
Thereareothersubtle
foretheprimary
messageofthispanelshouldbe reconsidered.12
the
traditional
cluesthathavebeenmarginalized
interpretation;
by
theyleadtoa more
ofthepatron'spossiblemotivations
tothemessageof
nuancedunderstanding
relating
thework.Forone,theApostlesandChiaritoarenottheonlyfigures
receiving
golden
16
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orSyria)
oftheApostles.
with
Communion
,ca.565-78,
(Constantinople
Early
Byzantine
Fig.3.Paten
x35cmdiameter
inniello,
andinscription
silver
with
3.2cmhigh
(1lAx13Vain.).Washrepoussé
gilding
Oaks
andCollection
Photo
©Dumbarton
OaksResearch
D.C.,Dumbarton
(Bz.1924.5).
Library
ington,
active
TheElevation
Host
Initials
oftheBrussels
,inPsalter
1390-1410).
(Italian,
ofthe
Fig.4.Master
x
ink
cm
and
on
colors,
leaf,
23.97
33.02
1389-1404,
parchment,
tempera gold goldpaint,
(Bologna),
x
fol.
J.
Paul
Museum
Los
(MS.34, 130)
(13 97/16
in.). Angeles, Getty
at
andothers:someofthefigures
a detailoftenoverlooked
byOffner
raysfromChrist,
Abovethem,atthetopofthe
thebottomoftheright
panelalsoreceivethatdistinction.
andpresents
a bloodied,crucified
Christ
Godsitsenthroned
panel,a monumental
right
in
ina representation
oftheHolyTrinity
rendered
tothebeholder
perspec(MercySeat)
withlaymen
womenareseatedina crowdinterspersed
tive.13
Below,a groupofreligious
Theholywomenaremarkedoutfrom
to a Dominicanpreacher.
andwomenlistening
ofgoldenraysmixedwithbloodthatfallfromChrist's
therestofthecrowdbystreams
thegoldenraystouchtheheadsofonlythesix
woundsontotheirheads.Miraculously,
behindthepulpit,
withdrawn
from
thetemporality
watchesfrom
veiledwomen.Chiarito
thatthisis oneofhisvisions.14
andithasbeensuggested
ofthesermon,
Here,ina scene
theveiledwomen andnoothers havebeenelectedby
ofthePentecost,
reminiscent
divinelightwere
ofthePentecost
theGodhead.Representations
prominently
depicting
intheillumination
collaborator
commonatthistime,exemplified
byPacino'ssometime
theMasteroftheDominican
Effigies
(fig.5).15
Tabernacle 17
LakeyTheChiarito
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oftheDominican
active
ca.1325-50).
ThePentecost
,inLaudario
(Italian,
Fig.5.Master
Effigies
x12V2
ca.1340,
andgoldonparchment,
cm(i615/i6
43x31.75
(Florence),
in.).LosAngeles,
tempera
J.PaulGetty
Museum
(ms.8o,
verso)
18
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To understand
howthecentralpanelinreliefandthedepictionoftheelection
ina newlight.In
ofthenunsoperatetogether,
thecentralpanelneedstobe considered
whatwasthefirstdescription
antioftheGetty'stabernacle,
theeighteenth-century
ofChristas Christus
describedthefigure
quarianAntonioFrancescoGori(1691-1757)
- thatis,cordsorropes.16
Dominus
andtheraysofgoldcoming
outofhisnavelasfuniculi
Gorisawtheobjectplacedonanaltarinthemonastery
ofSantaMariaReginaGoeli,the
ithas
thatChiarito
is saidtohavefounded,
Augustinián
monastery
though
traditionally
beenarguedthatChiarito
didnotcommission
Gori
thisaltarpiece/or
themonastery.17
intheGospelof
thissceneas rendering
aneschatological
doctrine
interpreted
expressed
willdraw
John
whenChrist
saidtothecrowd:"AndI,ifI belifted
theearth,
12:32,
upfrom
allthingsto myself."18
ThisepisodetakesplacewellbeforetheLastSupper.Christhas
entered
andencountered
a throng
ofpeople,including
Gentiles.
Jerusalem
triumphantly
of
Justpriortospeaking
thosewords,Christ
hiseminent
deathandjudgment
proclaimed
theworld.In medieval
as Christgatherthisepisodewasinterpreted
writing,
exegetical
theGreat(540-604)glossed
Gregory
ingtheelecttohiminheaven.Totakeoneexample,
"Forinthat
thechurch
ofConstantinople:
theverseas followsina lettertoclericsfrom
whichHe saysintheGospel,'WhenI shallbe liftedupfromtheearth,I willdrawallto
deathwhohad
allthatareelect.
Foronecouldnotbe drawntoGodafter
Hemeans
myself/
himself
fromGodbyevilliving."19
separated
notas liturthegoldenraysshouldbe understood
thislineofthought,
Following
thedescentofdivine
as signsofa typeofelectionthrough
butrather
gicalinstruments
orwisdom:thosewhoknowChristwillbe saved,thosewhodo notwillbe
knowledge,
inthecentralpanel,byoffering
a hierarchy,
castintohell.Christestablishes
beginning
andthen,intheright
thento Chiarito,
totheApostles,
divinewisdomfirst
panel,tothe
whointurnactsas an
forChiarito,
nuns.Here,theApostlesactas models,orexemplars,
workofartsimilarly
forthenuns.Another
raysof
displays
contemporaneous
exemplar
ina hierarchinotfrom
hisnavel)toholypersonages
fromChrist(though
lightemitting
now
an altarpiece
In thepinnacleoftheTriumph
cal manner.
Aquinas,
ofSaintThomas
Traini(fig.6) ,
toFrancesco
attributed
withLippoMemmi
associated
traditionally
though
from
hismouth,
of
issue
a
in
a
mandorla
sits
Christ
Rays light
against goldbackground.20
receiveon
PlatoandAristotle,
andothererudite
whichtheEvangelists
including
figures,
in
whositssquarely
ofThomas,
encircle
themassivefigure
theirheads.Theseindividuals
ofthisworkisclear,
fieldwithanopenbook.Theinterpretation
themiddleofthepictorial
in1323,
receives
been
canonized
had
who
out:
Polzerhaspointed Thomas,
as Joseph
just
and
theEvangelists,
fromChrist,
divinewisdom,intheformofgoldenlight,
Aristotle,
him.21
locatedbeneath
wisdomontoothers
deflects
hiswritings
Plato- andthenthrough
inthesourceofreceivedknowledge Thomasreceives
Despitekeydifferences
Christ's
thewordofChrist(verbum
divinewisdomthrough
body,
through
) andChiarito
are
of
both
carofactum
thewordmadeflesh(verbum
est)
types knowledge depictedas
ofdivinewisdomrelatetothealtarpiece's
goldenrays.HowdoesChiaritoireception
howChiaritoi
littlespeculation
Therehasbeensurprisingly
concerning
production?
Tabernacle 19
LakeyTheChiarito
This content downloaded on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:55:08 PM
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ca.1317-56).
Traini
active
ca.1320-65)
orLippoMemmi
active
(Italian,
(Italian,
Fig.6.Francesco
x101V2
TheTriumph
Thomas
ca.1332-40,
onpanel,
375x258cm(147У8
in.).
ofSaint
Aquinas,
tempera
Photo:
NY
Santa
Caterina
d'Alessandria,
Pisa,
Resource,
Scala/Art
Italy.
bearson theiconographie
oftheentirework;mostscholarshave
patronage
program
focusedtheirattention
on thecentralpanelalone.No doubtthedearthofdocuments
tothealtarpiece
hashindered
atcomprehensive
andthereare
relating
attempts
analyses,
fewindisputable
Chiarito
andhispatronage
factsregarding
ofPacino.
to
his
Antonio
Maria
di
in1653,ChiaVincenzo
Riconesi
According Vita,
pennedby
ritowasbornintoa family
ofgoodfortune
andsubstantial
meansinPratoaround1300.22
He nevertookpriestly
life.After
hisvisionofSaintZenobius,
vows,butliveda charitable
heandhiswife,CostanzaDolcibeni,
tooka vowofchastity
andbegantooverseethewellof
nuns
and
other
women.
before
he
was
ofSantaMaria
being
Long
givendirectorship
Coeliin1343,
heservedastheprincipal
eprocuratore
Regina
representative
(governatore
) at
themonastery
ofSantaMariadelFiore(Fiesole),thehermitage
ofSantaCroce(Fiesole),
andthemonastery
ofSantaMargherita
di Cafaggiolo
He diedsometime
(Florence).23
between1348and1356,
mostlikely
from
anillnessassociated
withbubonicplague(Black
in1478.Histombrestedunderthehighaltarofthechurch
of
Death),andwasbeatified
SantaMariaReginaCoeli,whichalsohousedsomeofhisrelics.
WhenSantaMariaRegina
2O
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Coeliwasfounded,
ChiaritoandCostanzabrought
theirfamily
withthem,alongwith
othernunsandvirgins
undertheircareinFlorence
andFiesole.Thefounding
ofthemontookalmosttwoyearsandincludedcomplexnegotiations
betweentheconfraterastery
of
of
the
of
San
Michelle
and
the
a convent
Convertite,
Berteldi,
nity Orsanmichele, prior
reformed
forwhom,
thenewmonastic
wasbuilt.24
prostitutes
complex
initially,
ofthenew
CouldChiaritohavecommissioned
thealtarpieceforthefounding
theknowndocumentary
evidencedoes notpoint
afterall?Unfortunately,
monastery
inthatdirection.
EventhoughRiconesidatesChiaritoivisionsofthehostto 1342and
hadnotbeenbuiltatthatdate.If
inthemonastery,
themonastery
claimstheyoccurred
between
sometime
Chiaritoivisionsoccurred
Oťfneťsdateofaround1340is correct,
caredfor
in1328and1340.Nevertheless,
between
theseyearsChiarito
hisvowofchastity
foranynumber
nunsandotherwomen,andthisobjectcouldhavebeencommissioned
withhimtoSanta
ThathewasabletobringPacino'stabernacle
ofmonastic
institutions.
thatthework'smessage- which
MariaReginaCoeliandinstalliton an altarsuggests
the
audience.Letus consider
ata femalereligious
directed
wastwofold wasoriginally
inthemindsof
elevatedChiarito
Theimagery
first
partofthemessageatsomelength.
with
thedivine.
had
communicated
him
a
who
as
thewomenbyestablishing
visionary
intwoways,thereby
Pacinodepictedthisdivinecommunication
multiple
providing
Chiaritoivisionsof
inthescenesshowing
visualaccountsforthenunstocontemplate:
Theimportance
ofthedivinelight.
ofthenuns,andintheform
thehostandtheblessing
thelaterMiddle
withthedivinebecamea populartropeduring
oflightincommunicating
canmean"enlightened."25
chiarito
Ages- and,perhapsnotunimportantly,
theabilSaintBonaventure
to theFranciscan
(1217-74),
theologian
According
likethehost required
world thatis,in"createdthings"
ityto see Godinthenatural
and
artofthethirteenth
Thisthemeoftenappearedinreligious
divineillumination.26
tied
ofdevotional
a flowering
a timewhenItalywitnessed
fourteenth
centuries,
practices
toteachothersa spiritual
whointended
ofindividuals
tothemystical
path
experiences
and
sermons
treatises
in
vernacular
related
often
their
,
prothrough example(exempla)
functioned
theGettyaltarpiece
orders.27
oftheMendicant
ducedbymembers
Similarly,
to
were
Chiaritoi
which
ormystical
as a sermon,
treatise,
experiences relayed
through
becauseofhisdivinewisdom.
himas a suitableguardian
thewomen,establishing
whichstrongly
thegoldenlight,
Ontheright
suggests
panel,onlythenunsreceive
femaleaudience.Theleftpanel
ata particular
thatthealtarpiece's
messagewasdirected
this
thatsupport thesis.Atthetopoftheleft
elements
containsadditional
iconographie
MarTheMystical
ofAlexandria,
visionofSaintCatherine
wing,Pacinopainteda famous
withboth
Christ
andcradling
outatthebeholder
. Here,Marysitsenthroned,
looking
riage
forherson'shandinmarriage.
theVirgin
Directly
hands,whileCatherine
supplicates
Pacino
to
road
the
on
the
depicts
Calvary,
below,ina uniquesceneofChrist
blessing Virgin
in
the
his
and
eminent
his
toward
to
his
Christ
death, turning body
opposite
left,
walking
herandthecohortofwomenshe
intheeyes,blessing
Christlookshismother
direction.
Inthenext
themofwhatliesaheadintheafterlife.
leadswithhisright
hand,as iftoreassure
Tabernacle 21
LakeyTheChiarito
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withherheadinclined
scene,a highly
Crucifixion,
distressed,
charged
Maryisshowndeeply
downward
andhereyestightly
closed:shecannotbearthesightofhersondying
onthe
cross.Inthecontext
ofa female
monastic
thesepowerful
institution,
imagesofCatherine
ofAlexandria
andtheVirgin
wouldhavebeenwellreceived.
thealtarIndeed,theyconvey
ofthedivinewere
piece'ssecondmessage:themystical
spouseofChristandthemother
rolemodelsfemales
intheirspiritual
couldemulate
wouldhavebeendirected
lives,which
andCostanza,
andsustained
andEucharistie
Christ
devotion.
byChiarito
through
Ill
oftheiconography
ofthecentralpanel,thereis no
Despitethisreinterpretation
thatChrist's
devotionareimportant
themesoftheChiadenying
bodyandEucharistie
ritoTabernacle
. Manyvisualreminders
ofChrist'ssalvific
messageappearprominently
all
three
Pacino
three
scenes
ofCommunion,
twobloodthroughout
panels:
depicted
ied Crucifixions,
andonelargegildedreliefofChrist'sbody,fromwhichtheApostles
andChiarito
receivespiritual
nourishment.
Gori'sJohnanine
Following
interpretation,
evidenceontheimportance
ofspiritual
nourishment
canbe foundjustprior
scriptural
toJesus'sproclamation
theelect.InJohn12:23-25,
Jesusconfronts
a groupof
regarding
Gentiles
whotraveled
fromallovertowitness
hispresence,
saying:
Thehouris come,thattheSonofmanshouldbeglorified.
Amen,amenI sayto
intotheground
alone.
die,Itselfremaineth
you,unlessthegrainofwheatfalling
Butifitdie,itbringeth
forth
muchfruit.
He thatlovethhislifeshallloseit;and
hethathateth
hislifeinthisworld,
ituntolifeeternal.
keepeth
TheEucharistie
themeinthispassagewasevidentto medievalauthors.
ThomasAquinas (ca. 1225-74),
forexample,
understood
thepassageas Christcomparing
himself
toa
of
wheat
because
"the
reason
he
came
was
to
refresh
andnourish
ourspirits,
which
grain
is principally
donebybreadmadefromwheat."28
and
are
Moreover,
sight corporeality
here:theGentiles
traveled
toseeJesusintheflesh;
thewheat,a symbol
andthe
important
Christ's
host,represents
physical
agentoftheEucharistie
body.
Whilethesenseofsight
wasessential
tomedieval
Eucharistie
inthelater
practices
MiddleAgesandmetaphysical
visionswerecrucialinlegitimizing
Chiarito
as anexemrelief
toemphatically
remind
beholders
ofChrist's
plarfornuns,Pacino'suseofsculpted
formalized
thesethemes.
Inthecentral
tangible,
bodilypresence
effectively
panel,Pacino
a
in
wit
the
betweenthesenseofsightand
employs cunning
mediating relationship
touch.Byusinghighreliefto createthetriumphant
ofChristandthesupplicatfigure
oftheimagetakeson newweight.Nota flat,twoingApostles,thesacralimmediacy
dimensional
withtruethree-dimensionality
anda corimage,reliefendowsthefigures
that
beholders
would
feel
a
desiretotouch:Christ's
fleshis palpable.29
poreality
strong
retains
evidenceofphysical
Indeed,thetabernacle
contactwithitsbeholders.
Thefaces
ofChrist's
tormentors
werescratched
offofscenesontheleftpanel,anactoficonoclasm
evident
inChrist
HerodandTheFlagellation.
Inthecentral
clearly
Before
panel,ina clever
22
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RESEARCH
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additionbyan unknown
hand,a crouching
dragonwaspaintedbehindChiaritoinhis
BeatoChiaritoibenevovisionoftheincarnate-host,
that,through
perhapssuggesting
anditsinhabitants
wouldbe safefromthetemptathemonastery
lenceanddevotion,
to
worn.Itistempting
thecentral
tionsoftheoutsideworld.Finally,
panelis noticeably
touchina heightened
stateofdevotion,
thatthewearwascausedbybeholders,
suggest
thereareno conservation
reports
supporting
ingtherelief thoughto myknowledge
thishypothesis.30
andtheissuesit
Tabernacle
theChiarito
Whenconsidered
as a mixed-media
image,
devotional
within
a widercorpusofmedieval
raisescanbe contextualized
Here,
imagery.
mediums
ofpainttraditional
toanobjectthatcombines
a "mixed-media
image"refers
andthusendow
enhancea divinefigure's
inordertovisibly
tangibility
ingandsculpture
inrelationto thepictorialfield.Theseobjects
itwitha senseofphysicalcorporeality
withtheLargeEyesmade
suchas theMadonna
butarenotlimited
to,altarpieces
include,
ofwisandSedessapientiae
ofSiena(fig.7); paintedcrucifixes
forthecathedral
(thrones
to containtherealpresenceofa
Theseimageswerethought
dom);and"relief-icons."31
as a tanorrelationally,
either
functioning
(thatis,as a reliquary)
literally
holypersonage,
ora
ofChrist
form
gibleconduittothedivinebycallingtomindandtosightthematerial
ofpainting
thespatially
Suchmessageswererelayed
saint.32
interplay
dynamic
through
ca.1220,
the
with
Madonna
active
oftheTressa(Italian,
Large
Eyes,
mid-i200s).
Fig.7.Master
x
Museo
x
У2
26V8
cm
on
and
Siena,
Metropolitana.
deirOpera
wood,
67
47
in.).
Italy,
(18
tempera gesso
NY
Photo:
Resource,
Scala/Art
Tabernacle 23
LakeyTheChiarito
This content downloaded on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:55:08 PM
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ofthepicture
on
andsculpture,
thetactileprotrusion
plane,andbycapitalizing
through
intermsofthe
theimportant
betweentheobject'slocationandfunction
relationship
in
audience.Oftentheseobjectswereplacedon altars,incloseproximity
tobeholders,
ordertogenerate
affective
witha tangible
senseofdivinepresfigures
piety.
Byendowing
the
crucial
from
the
realm
to
the
wasmediated
ence,
anagogicalstep
earthly
heavenly
Pacino
this
to
affective
artistically.33 emphasized relationship
inversely spark
pietyin
theimmaterial
beholders:
wasmadeemphatically
morematerial,
tosignify
that
perhaps,
a higher
stateofreality
couldbe reachedthrough
devotion
totheGodhead.34
Froma technical
howdidPacinocreatethethree-dimensional
cenperspective,
tralpanel?According
toconservators,
therearetwopossibilities.
Pacinocouldhavebuilt
inrelief
totheground,
upthefigures
byapplying
gessogrosso(a coarsegypsum)
layered
onit,coveredtheareastobegildedinbole,a typeofclay,and
(a finer
gessosottile
gypsum)
hecouldhavecastthefigures
inwaxorgessosottile.
When
gildedtheforms.
Alternatively,
thegessomixset,theforms
wouldhavebeenaffixed
tothepanelwithanother
gessomixture.Oncethisapplication
the
relief
would
be
covered
with
the
bole
and
hardened,
gilded
intheconventional
way.35
Offner
likensthePacinoaltarpiece
toimagesthatcombine
andsculpture,
painting
buthedoesnotfleshoutthetopic- henotesonlythatPacinowantedtoreplicate
earlier
mentions
the
models,suchas themixed-media
objectsdiscussedabove.WhileKrüger
he likensitto an imitation
oftheworkofa goldsmith,
suchas Byzantine
relief,
icons,
andothertypesofimagesinmetal.36
Thesereadings-evenifsomewhat
revetments,
accurate-arenegative
inwhichPacino'srelief
evaluations
isunderstood
as animitative,
version
of
else.
when
we
the
natureof
cheap
something However,
recognize innovative
therelief
andtheprocessbywhichitwasmade,thepatron's
motivations
behindthecommissionbecomemoreapparent.
theoriginal
conditions
ofthealtarpiece
shedsnew
Moreover,
analyzing
viewing
on
how
Pacino's
enabled
beholders
tovisualizethematerialization
of
light
techniques
Christ'sbodyandfostered
a dynamic
between
relief
and
relationship
sculpted
spectator.Thegoldenrays,Christ,
andtheApostlesallpossesscorporeality
andprojectfrom
thesurface.
Pacinodesignedthisworktobe seenfroman obliquelineofsight,
Clearly,
a
beholder
andlooking
Dominus
onanaltar,
a poseChiarito
by
kneeling
upattheChristus
three
in
times
the
center
When
the
is
viewed
from
thiskneeladopts
panel.
altarpiece
theforms
becomesmore
ingposition,
appearmorenaturalandthefigures'
materiality
thanwhenseenfroma standing
andthefigures
perceptible
position,
emergefromthe
in
a
virtual
state.
From
a
low
giltbackground
vantagepoint,thematerialdifferences
betweenfigure
andsurface
becomeevident.37
ThepalpablesenseofChrist's
bodyisalso
evidentwhentheobjectis litincertainways- eitherbyoblique,naturallighting
orby
bothofwhicharetypicalinmedievalchurches.
Viewedinnaturalraking
candlelight,
the
in
relief
more
and
light, figures
tactile, theholiestpartsofthiswork-which
appear
wereconsciously
to
a
tobeholders-lookmore
produced relay messageofcorporeality
three-dimensional
fully
(fig.8).
24
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RESEARCH
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inrakTabernacle
ofrelief
diBonaguida
active
ca.1302-40).
TheChiarito
(view
(Italian,
Fig.8.Pacino
x
x
J.
У4
11
V16
Los
and
on
cm
ca.
97.2
28.7
1340s,
in.).
(38
Angeles,
inglight),
gilded
gesso temperapanel,
PaulGetty
Museum
(85.PB.311)
inthecentralpanelwasa powerful
Whatbeholders
witnessed
image:a divinely
fromhisbrutal
had
of
who
risen
immaculate
illuminated,
triumphantly
figure Christ,
forthedying
death,a deathdepictedoneachsidepanel.Ifthenunsweretofeelempathy
oftheirgloriChristonthecross,theywouldfeelan equalmeasureofelationinfront
ousDominus.
Fellow
NewFaculty
Council
R.LakeyisanAmerican
Societies/Mellon
ofLearned
Christopher
hisPhDinthe
intheDepartment
; hereceived
Hopkins
University
ofArtatJohns
oftheHistory
in2009andholdsanMAinmedieval
Berkeley,
ofCalifornia,
ofartfromtheUniversity
history
studies
Studies,
ofToronto.
University
forMedieval
fromtheCentre
for
andYvonne
Szafran
Christine
Scott
I would
liketothank
Notes AttheGetty,
Sciacca,
Allan,
were
Parts
ofthis
assistance.
andbibliographical
Pacino
andfor
about
conversations
essay
photographic
inEarly
Mod"TheSenses
inthepanel
Annual
Conference
Art
Association
atthe2009College
presented
to
Ladis.
I
am
Andrew
in
Honor
of
Conference
andthe2010Trecento
Culture"
andVisual
ernArt
grateful
Tabernacle 25
LakeyTheChiarito
This content downloaded on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:55:08 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
theorganizers
andaudience
members
for
their
andcomments.
thanks
aredue
helpful
questions
Special
totheanonymous
readers
for
theGetty
Research
Journal
Thisarticle
hasbenefited
from
discusgreatly my
sions
with
E.Jung,
L.Kessler,
Herbert
Aden
andTristan
Research
for
this
Kumler,
Jacqueline
Weddigen.
article
wasgraciously
funded
andtheAmerican
Council
ofLearned
Societies.
byReed
College
i. OnChiaritoi
seeGiusepe
Notizie
istoriche
delle
chiese
vol.5,DelQuarlife,
Richa,
Fiorentine,
tiere
diS.Giovanni
Pietro
Gaetano
Godefroid
Henschen
etal.,eds.,
Acta
Vivani,
174-98;
(Florence:
1757),
sanctorum
...Maii,
tomus
sextus
dies
XXVIII
V.Palmé,
XXV,
XXVII,
XXVI,
quocontinentur
(Paris:
1866),
- 0166D;
cols.0161B
andScipione
dePaoli,
"Chiarito
diFirenze,
inBibliotheca
sanctorum
beato,"
(Rome:
Istituto
XXIIIdellaPontificia
Giovanni
Universita
cols.
Since
thelate
lateranense,
3:
1229-1230.
1963),
ninth
thebody
ofSaint
Zenobius
hasbeeninterred
intheFlorence
Chiarito's
cathedral,
century,
though
Antonio
Maria
diVincenzo
claimed
hewastending
tothetomb
Riconesi,
biographer,
seventeenth-century
in"ecclesia
S.Ioannis."
Zenobius's
wasthebasilica
ofSanLorenzo.
Forthecultof
previous
resting
place
Saint
see
Marica
Cathedral
and
Civic
Ritual
in
Late
Medieval
andRenaissance
:
Florence
Zenobius,
Tacconi,
TheService
Books
Maria
delFiore
Univ.
Press,
220-40.
ofSanta
(Cambridge:
Cambridge
2005),
2. Theseepisodes
wererecorded,
expost
inChiarito's
Vita.
SeeHenschen,
Acta
sanctofacto,
col.0161
D:"Adeo
habuit
Deus
ilium
dimittentis
se
animi
ut
id
rum,
famulatum,etiam
gratum
religiosum
voluerit
visibiliter
demonstrare.
cumaliquando
ministraret
sacrificio
visus
sunt
eisplendiMissae,
Ergo
dusradius,
abHostia
8cpectus
suum
Itseems
tomethat
Riconesi
sacrosancta,
progrediens
percutiens."
described
Chiarito's
visions
asdepicted
Pacino.
by
ACritical
andHistorical
section
Offner,
3. SeeRichard
3,TheFourCorpus
ofFlorentine
Painting,
teenth
vol.5(NewYork:
Institute
ofFineArts,
NewYork
Century,
21П22,
132П2,
208П4,
1947),
University,
ACritical
andHistorical
section
287;andRichard
Offner,
3,TheFourteenth
Corpus
ofFlorentine
Painting,
vol.6 (NewYork:
Institute
ofFine
NewYork
Arts,
Century,
141-48.
University,
1956),
See
À
la
table
du
L'Eucharistie
chez
lesprimitifs
4.
Dominique
Rigaux,
italiens,
seigneur:
1250-1497
Klaus
"Medium
andImagination:
Aesthetic
ofTrecento
Cerf,
(Paris:
1989),
esp.182-84;
Krüger,
Aspects
Panel
inVictor
M.Schmidt,
Panel
Duecento
andTrecento
ed.,Italian
Painting,"
Painting
ofthe
(Washington,
D.C.:National
of
Victor
M.
Painted
Panel
Art,
Schmidt, Piety: Paintings
Gallery 2002),57-82;
forPersonal
Devotion
inTuscany,
Centro
andFrançois
"Eucharistie
1250-1400
141-60;
(Florence: Di,2005),
Boespflug,
etTrinité
dansl'art
medieval
d'Occident
inNicole
Béatrice
andDomiBériou,
(XIIe-XVe
Caseau,
siècle),"
deVeucharistie
dans
lesÉglise
d'Orient
etd'Occident
eds.,
et
vol.
nique
Rigaux,
Pratiques
(Antiquité
Moyen
Âge),
Institut
d'Études
2,Lesreceptions
(Paris:
Augustiniennes,
2009),1111-67.
Baert
isanexception.
Heressay,
"Nourished
TheBeatoChiarito
5. Barbara
byInwardness:
Tabernacle
dell'Università
diFerrara,
Sezione
no.4(2007):28-50,
,"Annali
studies
Pacino's
(с.1340)
Stona,
tabernacle
within
thebroader
theme
oflatemedieval
female
I
was
made
exclusively
piety.
Unfortunately,
aware
ofheressay
toolatetofully
address
theargument
inmywork.
I would
liketothank
Christine
Sciaccafor
metoBaerťs
alerting
piece.
6. Offner
follows
Offner's
SeeKrüger,
"Medium
141ПЮ.
and
(1956),
Krüger
interpretation.
were
fashioned
outofmetal
orglassandcovered
insilver
orgold,
73.Fistulae
andoften
Imagination,"
orornamented,
insome
fashion.
Fistula
wasoneofmany
decorated,
names
for
these
instruments.
Others
include
calamus
andtutellus.
SeeJoseph
Daschristliche
inseinem
Sein
und
inseiner
Braun,
EntwickAltargerät
Braun
Hueber,
oftwomeâievaïfistulae.
lung
(Munich:
247-64,
1932),
esp.264,where
reproduces
drawings
Theuseofliturgical
straws
Communion
wasnotcommon
the
later
Middle
andtheir
during
during
Ages,
inartquite
rare.
I know
ofonly
oneinstance
where
afistula
wasdepicted,
depiction
I
have
though notseen
theoriginal
nora reproduction.
MiriRubin
describes
a fourteenth-century
Venetian
missal
inwhich
a
miniature
contains
a scene
ofCommunion
where
a priest
usesa straw
todrink
from
a chalice:
Biblioteca
Nazionale
Marciana
III(III)2116,
fol.176г.
SeeMiri
Marciana;
Christi:
TheEucharist
inLate
Rubin,
Corpus
Medieval
Culture
Univ.
For
the
circumstances
of
themanuscript's
(Cambridge:
72.
Cambridge Press,
1991),
26
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RESEARCH
NO.4 (2012)
JOURNAL,
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A.Klein,
inVenice,
inHenry
seemost
commission,
1200-1400,"
recently
Holger
"Refashioning
Byzantium
andRobert
D.C.:
S.Nelson,
andthe
eds.,SanMarco,
ofVenice
Maguire
Byzantium,
Myths
(Washington,
Dumbarton
OaksResearch
and
200-206.
Library Collection),
inidem,
Saint
"Tractate
InIohannis
7. See,for
25,chapters
13-14,"
evangeexample,
Augustine,
CXXIV
ofChrist
asmedialium
tractatus
OnAugustine's
255-57.
(Turnhout:
1954),
Brepols,
interpretation
inEarly
intheCommunion
andRelic
:Mediating
the
Sacred
torquapriest
seeErik
Thun0,
Image
ofthe
Apostles,
Art
L'Erma
di
Medieval
Bretschneider,
79-83.
(Rome:
2002),
HalK.M.Collins,
andC.Barber,
R.S.Nelson,
8. Onthepaten,
seemost
Image,
Holy
recently
cat.no.37.On
J.PaulGetty
Ground
: Icons
exh.
cat.(LosAngeles:
lowed
Museum,
Sinai,
2006),216-17,
from
Kunst
der
christlichen
the
see
Gertrude
theiconography
oftheCommunion
Schiller,
Ikonographie
of Apostles,
G.
Gütersloher
Mohn,
2:38-43.
1983),
(Gütersloh:
Verlagshaus
Christi,
49-82.
9. Rubin,
Corpus
seeRobert
G.
theCanonoftheMassonfolio
10. Theminiature
130.Ontheartist,
precedes
Book
intheFrench
andHisParticipation
inParis:
TheMaster
oftheBrussels
Initials
"AnItalian
Calkins,
Gesta
20,no.1(1981):
223-32.
Industry,"
These
Painted
andImagination,"
11. Krüger,
"Medium
Schmidt,
158.
73-75;
interpretations
Piety,
inmedieval
devotion
literature
on
visual
in
relation
to
the
the
Tabernacle
Chiarito
growing
position
safely
and
works
Suzannah
See
the
recent
artandonmedieval
Biernoff,
Sight
by
generally.especially
visuality
and
Middle
Embodiment
inthe
Macmillan,
Hamburger,
"Seeing
2002);Jeffery
Ages
(Hampshire:
Palgrave
in
Art
andDevotion,"
inLateMedieval
andtheAuthentication
ofVision
TheSuspicion
ofSight
Believing:
und
realen
von
mentalen
Zum
Verhältnis
und
Wirklichkeit:
Alessandra
Klaus
and
Nova,
eds.,
Imagination
Krüger
andCynthia
vonZabern,
Neuzeit
inderKunst
der
Bildern
Hahn,
2000),47-69;
Philipp
(Mainz:
Verlag
frühen
the
Renaisand
inRobert
S.Nelson,
inMedieval
uVisio
Dei:Changes
ed.,Visuality
Before Beyond
Visuality,"
Univ.
Saw(Cambridge:
sance:
asOthers
Press,
2000),169-92.
Cambridge
Seeing
andhada family.
hewasmarried
inhisVita,
wasa layman;
Chiarito
called
a clericus
12. Though
even
in
monastic
a
disclose
his
documents
that
are
no
known
there
Tomy
order,
membership
knowledge,
vows.
didnottake
andhecertainly
atertiary
order,
priestly
called
Seat(Gnadenstuhl
oftheMercy
hasargued
that
VonSimpson
),sometimes
13. Otto
images
is
crucifixion
in
which
Christ's
inHebrews
refer
tothepassage
ofGrace,
theThrone
4:16
typologically
Inthisrendition,
altar.
orportable
onapropitiatorium,
related
tosacrifices
priest
bythehigh
performed
which
andblood,
with
Christ's
beholders
andpresents
Godsitsinjudgment
may
gain
they
through
body
ad
thronum
fiducia
cum
"Adeamus
reads:
The
of
time.
at
the
end
or
graergo
passage
mercy,
forgiveness,
with
therefore
us
in
auxilio
inveniamus
et
tiautmisericordiam
(Let go
oportuno"
gratiam
consequamur
inseasonable
andfind
wemay
obtain
that
ofgrace:
tothethrone
confidence
aid).SeeOtto
grace
mercy,
der
Jahrbuch
inS.Maria
Trinitätsfresko
VonMasaccios
DieBedeutung
"Über
VonSimpson,
Novella,"
utilized
Pacino
that
has
L.
Kessler
Herbert
8(1966):
Berliner
argued
Museen,
126-30.
recently
119-59,
esp.
and
andtheApostles
ofChrist
itfrom
therelief
todistinguish
oftheHoly
intheimage
Trinity
perspective
to
focus
was
able
Pacino
Inthisway,
visions.
lifeandChiarito's
ofChrist's
scenes
theless-illusionistic
atthe
while
ofthealtarpiece,
theme
totheEucharistie
inrelation
oftheTrinity
onthecentrality
attention
could
a
distance
and
themselves
between
of
the
distance
beholders
time
God,
same
bridge
they
reminding
10.
86(2011),
L.Kessler,
SeeHerbert
God'smercy.
Speculum
"Speculum,"
through
only
the
that
notspecify
did
but
she
thebloodofChrist,
received
thecrowd
that
noticed
14. Baert
this
wasavision
that
out.Shealsoargued
marked
whowere
oftheaudience
members
were
theonly
nuns
ofthepanel
close
his
out
of
hehasgolden
because
ofChiarito
However,
inspection
upon
eyes.
coming
rays
near
in
lines
black
faint
The
two
his
out
of
has
no
he
insituitisclear
pigment hiseyes
eyes.
coming
rays
aswellason
behind
lines
these
onecanfind
ofthepulpit;
Chiarito,
someaspect
usedtodefine
were
just
would
bedepicted
nuns
"Nourished
SeeBaert,
thepulpit's
30.Theissueastowhy
byInwardness,"
steps.
Tabernacle 27
LakeyTheChiarito
This content downloaded on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:55:08 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
ina crowd
ofscholars,
andthe
toa sermon
hasbeenraised
(andnotcloistered)
listening
bya number
are
that
are
widows
has
been
monastic
Because
this
However,
suggestionthey
lodged.
they wearing
garb.
I believe
inregard
isclearly
based
onavision
ofChiarito's,
some
artistic
license
wastaken
tothe
depiction
inmedieval
ofa cloistered
versus
life.
thesocial
ofnuns
andRenaissance
public
reality
Although
history
Florence
isimportant
inthis
duetospaceI cannot
dealextensively
with
this
issue.
context,
The
so-called
Master
of
the
Dominican
wasPacino's
andcollabora15.
Effigies
contemporary
tor.
Onhislifeandwork,
AdaLabriola,
"Alcune
fiorentina
see,most
recently,
proposte
perlaminiatura
delTrecento,"
Arte
Cristiana
Laurence
Kanter
etal.,Painting
andIllumination
inEarly
93(2005):14-26;
Renaissance
York:
Museum
of
Florence,
Art,
1300-1450
56-83.
(New Metropolitan
1994),
16. Antonio
Francesco
Thesaurus
Veterum
Gori,
Albizzini,
3:200:
Diptychorum
(Florence:
1759),
"Insuperiore
statChristus
rotundo
nimbo
асradiato,
ornato
dextera
benediDominus,
gemmato
capite,
sinistra
vero
suiLibrum
esttunica
Amictus
&pallio:
atexeiusumbilico
duodecim
cens,
Evangelii
praefert.
tenues
funiculi
egrediuntur."
Miklòs
Boskovits
that
thealtarpiece
either
wasusedbyChiarito
himself
17. Forexample,
argues
orwascommissioned
foranother
institution
because
itlacks
reference
totheAugusanyiconographie
tinián
order.
SeeRichard
Offner
etal.,ACritical
andHistorical
,section
3,The
Corpus
ofFlorentine
Painting
Fourteenth
vol.
The
Painters
the
Miniaturist
ed.
Miklòs
Boskovits
Istituto
, 9,
Century
of
Tendency,
(Florence:
distoria
dell'arte,
49П167.
1984),
18. TheVulgate
reads:
"etegosiexaltatus
fuero
a terra
omnia
traham
admeipsum."
SeeGori's
Thesaurus
Veterum
"Sedulus
ac
Pictor
illud
forsitan
Gori,
explanation,
3:200:
Diptychorum,
pius
exprimerevoluit,
Christus
Dominus
Cum
exaltus
a terra
crucis
noster,
quodoresuodixit
fuero
(hocestinlingo
utSS.Patres
omnia
traham
admeipsum."
suspensus,
interpretantur)
theGreat,
inASelect
19. Gregory
9,Epistle
15,"
"Chapter
Register
ofEpistles,
Library
ofNicene
andPost-Nicene
ser.
vol.
Leo
the
the
Pt.
ed.
andCharles
Lett
Fathers,2, 12,
Great;
GregoryGreat,1, J.Barmby
Feltoe
York:
Literature
(New TheChristian
216-17.
1895),
Company,
20. Serena
forone,hasrecently
calledthisattribution
intoquestion,
that
Romano,
arguing
Memmi
the
See
Serena
"Il
Trionfo
di
S.
Tommaso
in
S.
Caterina
Lippo
Romano,
painted altarpiece.
likely
a Pisa,"
inAngiola
Maria
Romanini
andAntonio
Arte
d'Occidente:
Temi
eMetodi;
Studi
inoronore
Cadei,
eds.,
diAngiola
Maria
2vols.(Rome:
Sintesi
SeealsoKatherine
H.
Romanini,
informazione,
2:901-11.
1999),
asAction
andPassion
intheThirteenth
andFourteenth
inJeffrey
Tachau,
"Seeing
Centuries,"
Hamburger
andAnne-Marie
Art
andTheological
inthe
Middle
Bouché,
eds.,TheMind's
Eye:
Argument
Ages
(Princeton:
Princeton
Univ.
Press,
2006),344-45.
21. Thealtarpiece
wasmade
for
theDominican
church
ofSanta
Caterina
inPisa,
where
itstill
stands.
Polzer
dates
thework
toaround
See"The'Triumph
ofThomas'
inSanta
Panel
Pisa:
1323.
Caterina,
and
des
Kunsthistorischen
Institutes
in
Florenz
:
1
would
Date,"
like
to
Meaning
Mitteilungen
37(1993)29-70.
thank
Herbert
Kessler
for
me
to
this
alerting
image.
22. There
isnoprecise
dateforhisbirth;
most
sources
thathewasbornaround
agree
1300,
hecould
have
beenborn
earlier.
Forbibliographic
accounts
ofhislife,
seenote1.
though
seeespecially
Notizie
andS.G.C.,"Unmonastero
23. Onthispoint,
di
Richa,
istoriche,
188-89,
Suore
in
Via
San
Gallo
Bollettino
Storico
Agostiniane
(1348-1786),"
13(1924):
Agostiniano
15-20.
ofthefounding
ofthemonastery,
seeRicha,
Notizie
24. Forthehistory
and
istoriche,
188-189,
S.G.C.,"Unmonastero,"
Themonastery
waslocated
on105viaSanGallo;thebuilding
now
15-20.
houses
a conservatory.
Inaddition
toChiarito's
tomb
andrelics,
Santa
Maria
Coeliwashome
toa
Regina
miraculous
Crucifixion
andanexvoto
ofLorenzo
it
wasknown
asIIChiarito,
after
itsfounder.
de'Medici;
"Documenti
febbraio
See,forexample,
diStato
inArnaldo
31-1552
25,"Archivio
(Florence),
published
della
a Firenze
D'Addario,
Pubblicazioni
ed.,Aspetti
archivi
di
Controriforma
(Roma:
Stato,
degli
1972),
Thedocument
states
dipochhi
anni
dall'altro
391-98.
delle
monache
diSanta
Maria
"seguito
(1370)
Regina
28
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Coelorum
62nel1552),
detto
anche
diChiarito
dalnome
delfondatote,
messer
Chiarito
del
(50nel1552,
Thisisrepeated
inmany
ofthedocuments
tothemonastery;
Francesco
see,for
Voglia."
example,
relating
e
memorie
della
città
di
Iscrizioni
Firenze
Arnaldo
ed.,
Forni,
250.
Bigazzi,
(Florence:
1886),
liketothank
Joanna
Cannon
for
meoftheimportance
ofChiarito's
name
25. I would
reminding
inthis
context.
Medieval
26. Onthis
seeespecially
Bernard
"How
McGinn,
Shaped
topic,
Augustine
Mysticism,"
theformano.
1
1-26.
to
Studies
McGinn
Here,
importance
Augustinián 37, (2006):
explains
Augustine's
In
in
in
life.
tionofBonaveture's
oftheroledivine
illumination
thought,
especiallyterms
playedspiritual
Bonaventure
believed
that
inDeum
intoGod"),
theItinerarium
mentis
as"TheSoul's
(translated
Journey
to
disin
or
we
receive
this
to
the
six
of
contemplation
speculation
light
stages
"bypraying way[according
Medieval
cern
thesteps
oftheascent
toGod";seeMcGinn,
"HowAugustine
17-18.
Shaped
Mysticism,"
andhistheological
wasextremely
themid-fourteenth
Bonaventure
arguments
popular
during
century
a panel
oftheTree
inart.Pacino,
for
were
often
(mid-i300s),
ofLife
example,
produced
painting
depicted
Vita.
Bonaventurae
See
S.
after
Bonaventure's
treatise
nowintheAccademia,
Florence,
Lignum
popular
ForEnglish
S.Bonaventure,
10vols.(Quaracchi,
translations,
Omnia,
1882-1902).
Collegium
Opera
Italy:
theTree
the
: TheSoul's
into
Bonaventure
seeSaint
Francis,
God,
Bonaventure,
Life
ofSaint
ofLife,
Journey
Paulist
trans.
Ewert
Cousins
Press,
1978).
(NewYork:
"HowAugustine
toMcGinn,
ishow,
meinthiscontext
interests
Shaped
27. What
according
ofthedivine:
with
accounts
ofdirect
others
a mystic
Medieval
visions,
experiences
provides
Mysticism,"
from
Domenico
Cavalca
animportant
andsoon.In1333,
Pisa)
preacher
(a Dominican
mystic,
raptures,
to
raise
for
audiences
in
vernacular
de
Croce
the
and
wrote
thetreatises
lay
Specchio
de'peccatiSpecchio
in
Florence
works
were
illumination.
These
divine
to
God
their
minds
precisely
popular
very
through
up
R.
seeDaniel
OnCavalca,
tothecareofwomen.
hislife
anddevote
tohave
hisvisions
when
Chiarito
began
andDominican
World
Florence
: TheSocial
inMedieval
(Athens,
Lesnick,
Spirituality
ofFranciscan
Preaching
The
Heart'
and
Sins:
of
the
"'Motions
Carla
ofGeorgia
Ga.:Univ.
101;
Press,
Specchio
1989),
Casagrande,
and
Culture
Evil:
The
Vices
In
the
Garden
in
Richard
Domenico
Newhauser,
ed.,
OP,"
Cavalca,
of
de'peccatiby
inArrigo
works
arepublished
Cavalca's
inthe
Middle
Levasti,
ed.,
PIMS,
2005),128-45.
(Toronto:
Ages
edelTrecento
Mistici
delDuecento
Rizzoli,
1935).
(Milan:
lectura
S.Ioannis
28. Thomas
(Rome:
12,Lectio
4,"inidem,
evangelium
Super
Aquinas,
"Caput
Nisigranum
dico
vobis
ideo
vere
et
adfructificandum,
Taurini,
307."Dicit
egoveniutsemen
1952),
ergo:
converfructus
nisiegomoriar,
solum
interram
mortuum
frumenti
cadens
idest,
manet,
fuerit,
ipsum
et
ut
reficeret
hoc
venit
ad
se
frumenti
Ideoautem
nonsequetur.
sionsgentium
quia
comparat,
grano
frumenti."
efficit
hocautem
mentes
humanas:
sustentaret
praecipue panis
the
between
toplay
work
inapainted
oftheuseofrelief
uptherelationship
29. Another
example
now
oftheAnnunciation
Martini's
inSimone
canbefound
andrealpresence
incarnation
1333
altarpiece
the
in
raised
MARIA"
are
"AVE
words
in
which
the
Sant'Asano
relief,
intheUffizi
making
altarpiece)
(the
out
2
for
Reader
like
to
thank
I
would
substance.
atangible,
word
pointing
Anonymous
corporeal
literally
this
comparison.
itwithtoverify
isnoway
there
ofscholars;
hasbeenraised
however,
30. Thisissue
bya number
if
not
was
as
divine
the
to
touch
the
desire
In
some
outa conservation
cases,
important, more
report.
inmedieval
andsight
touch
between
On
the
divine.
see
the
to
thedesire
than
relationship
important,
Notes
andtheVisionary: onthe
"TheTactile
E.Jung,
seetheimportant
essay
byJacqueline
sculpture,
inColum
intheMedieval
ed.,Looking
Hourihane,
PlaceofSculpture
Beyond:
Imagination,"
Religious
Art
8c
of
of
Christian
Index
Art
and
Medieval
in
Art,
and
Dept.
Dreams, Insights
(Princeton:
Visions,
History
Princeton
203-40.
2010),
University,
Archaeology,
Altar
VanOs,Sienese
seeHenk
Pieces,
1215-1460
Egbert
(Groningen:
31. OntheSiena
altarpiece,
Princeton
Wisdom
The
Throne
llene
see
For
Sedes
1:11-20.
(Princeton:
of
Forsyth,
Forsten,
sapientae,
1988),
Tabernacle 29
LakeyTheChiarito
This content downloaded on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:55:08 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Univ.
disculture
medioevali
Press,
De'Maffei,
ed.,Mostra
, exh.cat.(Milan:
1972)andFernanda
lignee
Edizioni
dell'Ente
Manifestazioni
For"relief
seeBissera
TheSensual
Milanesi,
icons,"
Pentcheva,
1957).
Icon:
Ritual
and
the
Senses
in
Park:
State
Univ.
,
,
Press,
Space
Byzantium
(University Pennsylvania
2010).
ofthis,
seeCoppo
diMarcovaldo,
andChild
Maria
,inSanta
32. For
justoneinstance
Virgin
MagFlorence
half
ofthethirteenth
Thepolychromed
heads
ofMary
andChrist
(second
giore,
century).
project
from
thepanel.
Thefigures
aremade
from
andcontained
a cavity
intheir
heads
that
held
strongly
plaster
relics
blood
and
a
of
the
true
See
Marco
"The
and
Use
Ciatti, Typology,
(Christ's
piece
cross).
Meaning, of
SomePanel
from
theDuecento
andTrecento,"
inVictor
M.Schmidt,
Panel
ed.,Italian
Paintings
Painting
Duecento
andTrecento
D.C.:National
ofArt,
Forthe
useofrelief
24-26.
ofthe
(Washington,
2002),
Gallery
inpainting
thisperiod,
seeLarsJones's
"Visio
Divina?
Donor
andRepresentations
during
essay,
Figures
ofImagistic
Devotion:
TheCopy
ofthe"Virgin
ofBagnolo'
intheMuseo
delDuomo,
Florence,"
dell'Opera
inVictor
M.Schmidt,
Panel
Duecento
andTrecento
D.C.:National
ed.,Italian
Painting
ofthe
(Washington,
ofArt,
Jones
makes
similar
interms
ofabeholder's
relation
toanimage
31-55.
2002),
Gallery
arguments
inrelief
versus
oneinpainting
andprovides
anexcellent
the
argument
regardingphilological
relationship
ofrevelata
torilievata
inItalian
devotional
texts.
(andrilievo)
"Asisolated
within
thechurch,
closetotheworship33. Onthispoint,
Forsyth
argued:
effigies
like
in
his
own
environmental
both
human
and
inform,
the
size,
him/her
per,
sharing
space,
yet
god-like
austere
must
have
an
excellent
for
thetransition
from
[Sedes
figures
sapientae
sculptures]
provided
bridge
toabstraction."
Throne
10.
reality
Forsyth,
ofWisdom,
hasargued
that
Jan
vanEyck
andRogier
vanderWey34. Hamburger
painters
fifteenth-century
denthought
ofmedieval
as
a
"frame
of
in
reference"
their
that
re-created
natusculpture
paintings
highly
ralistic
of
human
bodiessometimes
bodies
that
were
because
depictions
literally
sculptedsculpture
"hada higher
claim
onreality
thana mere
SeeHamburger,
andBelieving,"
A
picture."
51-55.
"Seeing
decade
Pacino
made
a similar
statement
the
between
earlier,
and
regardingrelationship sculpture paintinthisinstance
wasthemedium
tocommunicate
a higher
state
of
ing-though
sculpture
parexcellence
made
a
hedoesnotfocus
onthemedium
ofrelief
inpassreality.
Krüger similar
argument,
though
except
SeeKrüger,
"Medium
andImagination,"
ing.
73-74.
relief
II
35. Similar
techniques
regarding ingessoandwaxaredescribed
Cennini,
byCennino
Libro
ed.
Daniel
V.
Haven:
Yale
Univ.
andinthetwelfth-century
dell'Arte,
Press,
Thompson
(New
1932)
=Dediversis
work
TheVarious
Arts
ed.andtrans.
C.R.Dodwell
Clarenartibus,
byTheophilus,
(Oxford:
Ontheconservation
ofthePacino
seeArie
don,1986).
and
ColoWaller,
altarpiece,
"PigmentsOrganic
rants:
TwoCaseStudies,"
inTonnie
Bakkenist
etal.,eds.,Early
Italian
and
Painting
TechniquesAnalysis
Conservation
toYvonne
conservator
(Maastricht:
Institute,
Limburg
73-74.
1997),
Szafran,
According
ofpaintings
attheJ.PaulGetty
thisobject
willundergo
further
tests
foranupcoming
exhibiMuseum,
tion.
Szafran
alsoindicated
that
thegilded
ofthepanel
have
been
some
parts
might
highlighted
by
type
ofenamel.
I would
liketothank
herimmensely
for
hertime,
for
herhelpinsorting
issues
ofthe
through
work's
andfor
metoread
anearly
draft
ofa 2009conservation
conservation,
at
allowing
report
presented
theNational
London.
SeeYvonne
Szafran
etal.,"Painting
onParchment
andPanel:
Gallery,
Exploration
ofPacino
diBonaguida's
inMarika
OldMaster
and
ed.,Studying
Technique,"
Spring,
Paintings:
Technology
Practice
(London:
8-14.
Archetype,
2011),
"Medium
andImagination,"
36. Offner
141;
(1956),
Krüger,
73.
tonotetheoptical
illusions
thisproduces:
37. Itisimportant
thepanel
from
in
seeing
directly
front
orfrom
faraway
flattens
theforms
andthey
become
lessnaturalistic
totheeye.Thispheoptically
nomenon
insculpture
hasa long
history.
ЗО
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