Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378 – 1455), Donatello (1386 – 1466) e Jacopo della Quercia (1374 – 1438). A compendium of the best sculpture of the fifteenth century that makes the Baptismal font kept in the Baptistery of Siena, formerly the parish church of San Giovanni.
A true sculptural installation – to whose creation the Sienese goldsmith also contributed, in addition to the masters already mentioned John of Turino – in marble, gilded bronze and enamelled copper, conceived between 1427 and 1431, at the dawn of that Renaissance of the arts that would influence many generations to come. It is therefore a fundamental text of art, as well as one of the most precious masterpieces within the heritage of the monumental complex of Siena Cathedral (which also preserves many treasures: think of the marble floor of the cathedral).
The Baptismal Font of Siena Cathedral, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture
At the center of the Baptistery, the baptismal font appears as a structure raised on two steps: at the hexagonal marble tub – in which six gilded bronze mirrors depicting the life of the Baptist are inserted, punctuated by statues of virtue, two of which, Wedding ring And Hopecreated by Donatello – overlaps the monumental tabernacle, originally intended to house both the chrism used for the rite of baptism and the Eucharistic bread. Designed as a classical temple covered by a segmented dome, the tabernacle is adorned with five Prophets within niches; the sixth side is closed by a gilded bronze door depicting the Madonna and Childwork of Giovanni di Turino (1434). Above the trabeation were then placed six Spirits of bronze in the round: today there remain some in situ only four, two by Donatello and two by Giovanni di Turino. A further crowning achievement, balanced on a slender lantern, is the figure of Saint John also carved in marble (but Apuan, of a different quality from that used for the tub). But among the most valuable passages of a work with a complex genesis, the ones undoubtedly stand out gilded bronze panels worked in relief, attributable to several hands: all the artists involved contributed to their creation, in successive phases, with a particularly successful outcome in the case of the Baptism of Jesus signed by Ghiberti in 1427, with an incredible sense of depth, and of Herod’s Banquet by Donatello, the most dramatic scene of the lot.
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The restoration of the baptismal font of the Siena Cathedral
In the last three years, the baptismal font has been the subject of an in-depth restoration which involved the collaboration ofSiena Metro Opera (who financed the campaign) with theHard Stone Factory, through a series of investigations and innovative interventions from a technical point of view. The restorers were faced with the need to restore the legibility and guarantee the protection of the gilded bronze works and the marble elements (in antiquity decorated with polychrome details in blue and gold), facing environmental conditions that were not optimal to guarantee their conservation . The intervention helped to better understand the authorship of the different parts, and revealed the techniques used by the different artists. Furthermore, during the reassembly phase of the various stone elements dismantled for the restoration, we worked on the creation of new elements and fixing joints made ad hoc and on the design of a support structure that will allow access to the back of the bronzes without necessarily having to dismantle the marble blocks.
The baptismal font of the Siena Baptistery returned to the public
And now the work is being returned to use in the context of a renewed layout of the Baptistery tour route, which will facilitate public reception. In parallel, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure will be engaged, from now on, in a program of six-monthly inspections to monitor environmental parameters: “Only constant attention will allow us to promptly detect signs of deterioration and immediately identify the most suitable measures.”, explains the Superintendent of the Factory Emanuela Daffra.
Livia Montagnoli
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