Dormition Virginis (Arnolfo di Cambio)
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| Dormition Virginis |
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| Arnolfo di Cambio , approx. 1300–1305 |
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Marble sculpture, 60 cm × 177 cm |
| Bode Museum; Berlin |
The Dormitio Virginis is a marble sculpture group (60 × 177 cm) by Arnolfo di Cambio and helpers, from the beginning of the 14th century, from the old facade of the Florence Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore and is today in the sculpture collection in the Bode- Museum in Berlin .
History and description
The lunette of the right portal of the Florence Cathedral housed the depiction of the Dormition Virginis (Death of Mary), with the reclining Madonna and some figures and reliefs around her. To resume the position of the Madonna della Natività on the left lunette, Mary closed her eyes and crossed her arms in the typical position of the dead, while the Apostle John bows at her feet and hugs her legs in a dramatic but serene position of mourning . The group was found in 1904 by Georg Swarzenski among the works sold by Stefano Bardini , along with other sculptures such as the Madonna della Natività , and brought to Berlin, where it was badly damaged in World War II .
An anonymous description of the facade and a drawing by Bernardino Poccetti before the demolition show that there was also a figure of Christ holding the soul of Mary in her arms and apostles. Of these figures there are two fragmentary heads in Berlin, another in the Opera del Duomo, which was lost in the flood of Florence , and a bearded one in the Bargello (height 40 cm), while the head of Jesus with the child Maria ( not of excellent quality, attributed to the workshop) located in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence .
The group of figures is designed to be viewed from below, and the highlighted volume creates a sort of trompe l'oeil effect. Saint John in particular has a strong plastic value, with a head reminiscent of a Hellenistic sculpture, comparable to other works already on the facade, such as the statue of Boniface VIII. On the occasion of an exhibition in the Museo dell'Opera in 2005 the figure of a hunched apostle from a private collection was also exhibited.
literature
- The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Firenze . Mandragora, Florence 2000, ISBN 88-85957-58-7 (Italian).
- La collezione di sculture al Bode-Museum . Prestel, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-7913-4260-3 (Italian).