Siena Cathedral, restoration of Nicola Pisano pulpit ends: it is one of the most important works in art history

The restoration of Nicola Pisano’s Pulpit in Siena Cathedral, the great and celebrated thirteenth-century masterpiece created between 1265 and 1268 by the artist of Apulian origin, who completed it with the help of his son Giovanni and pupils Arnolfo di Cambio and Lapo, has been concluded.

The monumental pulpit, entirely covered with carved high-reliefs, was placed in the right-hand area of the space below the dome and remained there until 1506, when it was totally disassembled and awaited its present location. Despite some diminution that occurred with the 16th-century reassembly and due to centuries of aging, the pulpit is substantially well preserved.

During the complicated restoration, both the general patina and the remnants of the coloring and gilding, which gave the animated figurations a pleasing naturalistic appearance, were recovered under the dust and blackening from the smoke of the votive candles. “The most conspicuous testimonies of these indispensable chromatic finishes,” in fact, the presentation of the restoration reads, “are found in the undercuts of the carved figures and in the deepest recesses of the high reliefs, where the slow but inexorable consumption due to careless maintenance could not act.”

Both traditional techniques and cutting-edge findings, including 3D reconstruction of the complex, were used during the restoration. The resaturation took place with the collaboration of the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Siena and theOpificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. The Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Siena, Grosseto and Arezzo carried out the high supervision of the intervention, while theOpera della Metropolitana di Siena financed the restoration with the contribution of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Foundation.

Gian Franco Indrizzi, rector of the Opera della Metropolitana, will present the fruits of the restoration on Friday, June 15, 2018.

Pictured is Nicola Pisano’s pulpit inside Siena Cathedral. Ph. Credit Opera della Metropolitana.

Siena Cathedral, restoration of Nicola Pisano pulpit ends: it is one of the most important works in art history

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