Nicola Pisano and Claus Sluter

Nicola Pisano and Claus Sluter

Nicola Pisano's pulpit in the Pisa Cathedral and Claus Sluter's "Well of Moses" are divided both by over 100 years and by geographical and cultural factors. In terms of the temporal elements, Pisano's pulpit belongs to an Early Renaissance in Tuscany and embodies many of the characteristics of the mid-1200s in sculpture, including a powerful relationship with architecture: the pulpit can be considered an "architectonic sculpture" to a better degree than Claus Sutter's, especially through the grandiosity represented through the three different levels of representation.

Claus Sluter belongs to the Late Middle Ages and has created his "Well of Moses" towards the end of the 14th century. With that respect, he brings to the art world some of the naturalism existing in the Classical sculptures of Greek and Roman times and this can also be seen in this creation. Strangely enough, despite this temporal separation, both works retain this connection with the ancient world.

The geographical factors seem to impose more differentiations than the temporal ones. Sluter belongs to the Northern dimension, while Pisano is an interesting reflection of the 13th century Tuscany, combines with his background of Southern Italy (research has shown that he may have been born in Southern Italy and that he may have worked on some orders from Emperor Frederick II)

. From this perspective, Pisano's work, including the pulpit, can be considered somewhat more eclectic in the elements it is willing to incorporate than Sluter's work.

There is a connection here as well, however. Pisano's Southern background and his support for the Ghibellin cause bring him in relation with the German world, part of the Northern dimension, where Sluter occasionally checks in for inspiration as well. Summing up these introductory paragraphs, one may conclude that both works are in fact European and universal, concluding a wide array of inspirational sources, ranging from the Greek and Roman culture, to the Biblical subjects and into the respective present days, with the European inspiration of early Renaissance.

The shape of Pisano's pulpit is a hexagonal one, with a division on three levels that portray lions and other figures (the lower part of the pulpit), Virtues and Prophets (middle level) and events from the life of Christ (the upper part of the pulpit)

. The way the figures are placed amount to a gradual representation of the triumph of Christianity, one of the preferred themes during Pisano's times. Indeed, the lions on the lower level of the pulpit are shown as defeated animals, a symbolism pointing out towards the defeat of paganism and triumph of Christianity. Subsequently, the Prophets announce the coming of Christ through the Old Testament, so it is logically that they be part of the middle level, with the upper level concluding this sequence and containing representations from the life of Christ.

Despite the obvious division of the sculptural group among these three levels, the group remains unitary as far as the overall perception is concerned. One of the reasons for this may be the fact that the focus is placed on the third level, made up for five panels with representations from the life of Christ. The first and second level, containing the lions and the statues of Prophets and Virtues, are smaller, almost inducing the idea that they are present only so as to point out towards the third level.

Sluter's "Well of Moses" followed a similar gradual construction of his characters. Sculpted in a hexagonal form as well, the fountain was originally completed by a crucifix and the figures of Virgin Mary, St. John, and Mary Magdalene

. The only part that remains is the base of the fountain, with the six statues of prophets from the Old Testament, but the way that the representations were conceived to culminate with the figures of the New Testament and triumph of Christianity in both works is revealing to the fact that both artists belonged to a unified European, Christian current.

An interesting difference that needs to be pointed out between the two works and one which is important in the underlying effects that each produce, is the fact that Nicola Pisano's pulpit is made out of marble, while "The Well of Moses" uses stone. From this point-of-view, the difference between the two is given by the different texture and aspect of the material from which the sculptures are made. Stone is rough by nature, so many of the figures on the sculpture borrow this attribute as well.

On the other hand, in Pisano's work, marble lends back to the figures on the pulpit some of its characteristics. This is probably most obvious in some of the virtue figures on the middle level, notably on the figure of Charity. The marble also gives out some of its majesty and monumentality, as can be seen in the case of the figure of Hercules, on the same level.

An important difference between the two works is given by the overall structure. Pisano's pulpit is supported by four slender Corinthian columns, which gives both an architectural perspective to the sculpture, as previously mentioned, as well as a certain slenderness, because the five columns support the structure above it (there is also a central supporting column, but similarly thin). There is, however, an interesting geometric communion between the two parts of the sculpture (columns and pulpit), with each of the points of the hexagon-shaped pulpit fitting on one column. In fact, this approach is in line with Pisano's intentions in terms of working with harmonious ratios and proportions. Further more, the combination between shape and material is completed by the colors in the sculpture: Pisano adds red marble in the entire work, in the form of the supporting columns.

In comparison, Sluter's work appears more austere. To Pisano's elaborate conception of the supporting pillars, Sluter uses a much simpler and less aesthetic supporting hexagonal pillar. This certainly does its job in terms of supporting the pillar, but is less effective than the exquisitely sculpted red pillars from Pisano's pulpit. As previously mentioned, the construction material (stone) adds to this austere impression when the viewer analyses the sculptural group from bottom upwards.