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The tomb of Margaret of Brabant by Giovanni Pisano

University of British Columbia

Unique in its design, the tomb of Margaret of Brabant is one of the last works of sculpture produced by Giovanni Pisano. Executed between the years of 1312 and 1313, the monument represents the only extant essay, made by Giovanni Pisano, in the field of tomb sculpture. Originally erected in the church of San Francesco di Castelletto, Genoa, the tomb was partially destroyed between 1798 and 1810, along with the church. As it now survives, the tomb consists of six marble fragments; a group representing Margaret of Brabant with two attendants, a Madonna, a figure representing the virtue Justice, and the head from such a figure representing Temperance. The fragments of the monument present problems of reconstruction and interpretation. Documentation of the tomb project is minimal and no contemporary descriptions of the original appearance are known. Although the Justice figure and the Temperance fragment correspond to the same elements in a group of four, mid-fourteenth century virtue figures which are likely to have been copied from the tomb's original complement, the fragments of the tomb, in and of themselves, do not provide a sufficient basis for reconstruction. Interpretation of the tomb has been hindered by its fragmented state, yet two major opinions have been published. Harald Keller has suggested that the tomb represents a Last Judgment scene. Margaret of Brabant is to be seen as rising from the grave at the call of the final trumpets. Herbert von Einem, on the other hand, relates the rising figure of Margaret of Brabant to French examples in relief, of the Assumption of the Virgin and interprets the political significance of this association in the light of Dante's Commedia. An attempt is made here to elucidate both the problems of reconstruction and interpretation offered by the tomb of Margaret of Brabant. By the study of related, contemporary tomb designs, particularly those of Arnolfo di Cambio and Tino di Camaino, the examination of the available documentation and description, a thesis for the reconstruction of the monument and a definition of the elaborate, multi-level, wall appended tomb type which it introduces is presented. By an examination of contemporary theology concerning the nature of the human soul and its fate, a thesis for the interpretation of the tomb as a unified programme illustrating the ascension of the soul of Margaret of Brabant, immediately after death, is expounded. In conclusion, the position of the tomb of Margaret of Brabant in the contemporary tradition of funerary sculpture is analysed. Giovanni Pisano's contributions and innovations are seen to herald a significant change in the conception of tomb design of the period.

Text

2010-02-26

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/21067

Fine Arts

University of British Columbia

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