LEONARDO DI SER GIOVANNI

The picture shows one of the reliefs on the front face of the silver altar commissioned from the goldsmiths Leonardo di ser Giovanni and Betto di Geri by the Arte del Calimala for the Baptistery in Florence.

The reliefs differ significantly from those on the same subject created by Andrea Pisano for the south doors of the Baptistery, their architectural backgrounds offer more illusionistic spaces for the action, all of which appears to take place behind the plane of the relief rather than in front. Taking advantage of the malleability of silver, the sculptors revel in the fine detail of armour, hair, and embroidered borders. Enamel evokes the deep blues, ochers, and greens of fine stained glass set in precisely detailed tracery.

Back to the 1300s the guild in charge of the preservation of the Baptistery was the so called Calimala Guild. In the 1360s the Guild decided to replace the existing 13th-century silver altar with a new, more precious one.

The Treasure was commissioned in 1366; the task of building it would have been assigned to the winner of a competition. However, the various reliefs happened to be assigned to a range of participants. Famous sculptors and goldsmiths such as Leonardo di ser Giovanni, Michele di Monte, Tommaso Ghiberti, Matteo di Giovanni, Bernardo Cennini, Antonio del Pollaiolo and Andrea del Verrocchio were challenged in the creation of the masterpiece. The Treasure required more than a 100 years of work, as well as more than 400 kg of silver and 1050 enamelled plates. The result of such an effort is an extraordinary synthesis of the main trends of the Florentine goldsmithing and sculpture that flourished between the Gothic and the Renaissance.

The Treasure decorated the front side of the High Altar in the Duomo until the end of the 14th century when it was moved to the altar in the centre of the Baptistery. In 1441 the central niche was realised in order to host the statue of the Baptist, a work by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo. In 1477 the decision to turn the Treasure into an independent altar was taken.

The frequent assemblies and reshuffles which took place during the centuries have altered the original order of the reliefs and some parts have been damaged or even lost. The very first great restoration was achieved by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in 2012, after 6 years of works. During those years the masterpiece was disassembled into more than 1500 pieces and underwent a meticulous cleaning.

Today, this unique goldsmithing example is preserved in the Treasury Room of the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, inside a showcase that keeps the object under nitrogen, assuring the ideal humidity and temperature.

The picture shows the front face of the silver altar commissioned from the goldsmiths Leonardo di ser Giovanni and Betto di Geri by the Arte del Calimala for the Baptistery in Florence. Conceived on a lavish scale meant to demonstrate the guild’s economic power in the city, the altar was not finished until the sixteenth century. Rectangular reliefs depicting scenes from the life of St John the Baptist, to whom the building is dedicated, were set into the front and sides of the altar; the architectural frame is composed of numerous Gothic niches, each containing a small statuette.

The reliefs differ significantly from those on the same subject created by Andrea Pisano for the south doors of the Baptistery, their architectural backgrounds offer more illusionistic spaces for the action, all of which appears to take place behind the plane of the relief rather than in front. Taking advantage of the malleability of silver, the sculptors revel in the fine detail of armour, hair, and embroidered borders. Enamel evokes the deep blues, ochers, and greens of fine stained glass set in precisely detailed tracery. Clearly the artists must have closely studied contemporary architecture and narrative painting.

The central niche figure of St John the Baptist was added to the altar in 1452, the sculptor is Michelozzo di Bartolomeo.

The picture shows the panel depicting the Birth of Mary and the Presentation in the Temple.

The picture shows the roundel with St Jerome.

The most interesting sculptural works undertaken during the last decades of the fourteenth century in Tuscany fall in the realm of metalwork and not of sculpture. These are the two silver altars for the cathedrals of Pistoia and Florence.

The Pistoia altar was ordered in 1287, was extended by Andrea di Jacopo d’Ognabene after 1316, and was amplified by the addition of side pieces between 1361 and 1367; it was again enlarged after 1381, and the upper part was added in 1394-96.

The picture shows the side panels with biblical stories of Mary.