The Mosaic ceiling of the Florence Baptistery is a set of mosaics covering the internal dome and scarsella of the Baptistery of Florence. It is one of the most important cycles of medieval Italian mosaics, created between 1225 and around 1330 using designs by major Florentine painters such as Cimabue, Coppo di Marcovaldo, Meliore and the Master of the Magdalen, probably by mosaicists from Venice.
History The mosaics of the Battistero di San Giovanni in Florence represents "the largest pictorial cycle of the thirteenth century in Tuscany, and undoubtedly one of the most important in Italy of the period."Boskovits 2007, p. 9. The first mosaics were created in the protruding rectangular scarsella (replacing a semi-circular apse) by the Franciscan friar Jacopo, whom Vasari's Lives of the Artists wrongly identified as Jacopo Torriti. An inscription split between the four pendentives of the apses' vault gives the start-date for the work. Beginning with the southeastern panel and continue reading clockwise, it says: HOC OPVS INCEPIT LVX / MAI ITVNC DVODENA / QVOD D(omi)NI N(ost)RI CON / SERVE(t) GRA(tia) PLENA; SANCTI.FRANCISCI.FRATER/ FVIT.HOC.OPERATVS. / IACOBVS.IN TALI PRE / CVNTIS.ARTE PROBATUS; ANNUS PAPA TIBI. / NONUS CURREBAT HONORI / AT FEDERICE TUO. / Q(uin)T(us) MONARCHA DECO(r)I; VIGINTI QUINQUE XP(ist)I / CUM MILLE DU CENTIS / T(em)P(or) ACURREBANT P(er) SE / C(u) LACU(n)CTAMANE(n) TIS.
This work was begun on the 12th May. May the fullness of grace of the Lord preserve it! Jacopo, friar of Saint Francis, more skilled in such art than anyone else, was employed here. The ninth year of your pontificate, Pope Honorius, has passed, and the fifth of your dignity as emperor, Frederick. One thousand two hundred and twenty five years have passed since the birth of Christ, who remains for all centuries.Cited after Boskovits 2007, pp.19 f. Boskovits follows with some alterations the translation by Lomartire 1994, pp. 425 f.
Producing the mosaics was a difficult and expensive undertaking. The Arte di Calimala was responsible for building and maintaining the Baptistery. The guild of all merchants in wholesale trade at the time (which later was reduced to the wool importers and retailers), is first documented in 1183, but already powerful, as it was not only responsible for the babtistery works (Opera di San Giovanni), but also for the hospital of Sant' Eusebio and the Opera di San Miniato al Monte.Boskovits 2007, p. 16. and in 1271 the guild signed an agreement with the canons to start decorating the interior of the dome, though it is now thought that the mosaics on the portion nearest the lantern may have been begun in 1228 by the same Jacopo, soon after the chancel was completed. The works continued until the start of the 14th century, ending around 1330, as reported by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani.
According to Vasari the earliest mosaics was by Andrea Tafi, a semi-legendary figure, who produced the angelic hierarchies and the Pantocrator assisted by Apollonio, a Greek he had met in Venice. He attributed the rest of the work to Gaddo Gaddi. It is impossible to confirm Vasari's account, though the earliest mosaics are also the most similar to those in San Marco Basilica, Santa Maria Assunta in Torcello, other Venetian locations and Rome's San Paolo fuori le Mura, where the Venetian masters also worked after being summoned by Pope Honorius III in 1218.Article on the dome
Most art historians now attribute the designs to a number of Tuscan artists but their realisation to mosaicists from Venice or the eastern Mediterranean. Stylistic analogies with painted works enable links with the best 13th century masters, their collaborators, Giotto and precursors of his style such as the so-called Last Master of the Baptistery identified by Roberto Longhi. The works have been under almost constant restoration from the late 14th century onwards, with particularly notable schemes occurring in 1402, 1481, 1483–1499 (overseen by Alesso Baldovinetti, who was made "official restorer of the mosaic decoration"), 1781–1782 (general cleaning), 1821–1823 (dealing with serious damage in the area of Stories of Noah) and 1898–1907 (massive reintegration).
Iconography
Apse The double arch over the altar is decorated with busts of Christ, the Virgin Mary, the apostles and prophets, divided into compartments and decorated with leaves, possibly later work from the end of the 13th century. On the rectangular apse is a frieze with cherubim and seraphim between clipei, over which are the vault mosaics by Brother Jacopo, which show some connection with those in San Marco Basilica in Venice.AA.VV., Guida d'Italia: Firenze e provincia (="Guida Rossa"). Touring Club Italiano, Milano 2007 (in Italian).
At either end are mixti-linear figures with inscribed tablets above them – on these are four very ornate capitals in lively colours with very articulated lines, on which four telamons kneel, their heads leant forward enhancing the impression of the figures as turning wheels. The telamons have a lively plasticity and resemble sculptures by the workshop of Benedetto Antelami on the facade of Fidenza Cathedral. Jacob Burckhardt saw them as a significant original artistic invention and a precursor of later atlantides like the ones on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel: although carrying symbolic meaning, they predominantly are meant decoratively to fill space and structure it, a task foreign to Byzantine art.
Between the telamons on the left sits the patron saint John the Baptist on a large throne, a cushion protruding from under him on both sides. Similarly, on the right a Madonna enthroned presents an oversized Christ Child on her lap blessing the faithful – both those figures are heavily restored, particularly the heads. The thrones are modelled on Carolingian and Ottonian miniature painting.
The wheel's structure in the center is formed of classical swirls with rays containing candelabra, whose fantastical composition —again with telamons— seem to anticipate 15th and 16th century grotesque art. Below is a vase between two facing animals such as deer (recalling Psalm 41's "as the deer seeks water, so the soul seeks God"), birds and strange fish-men with fins on their heads.
Above is a vegetable motif with a small head in the middle and higher up an angel holding the large central medallion, in which is written "Agnus Dei". Around the medallion is inscribed "HIC DEUS EST MAGNUS MITIS QUEM DENOTAT AGNUS" ("here is great God shown as a mild lamb") in gold letters on a red background. Between the rays are eight full-length depictions of prophets in Byzantine style with name labels at their feet – anticlockwise these are Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jermiah and Isaiah.
Dome
Covered with mosaics on gold backgrounds, the interior of the dome is split into eight segments. Some argue Venetian masters were involved, with local artists such as Coppo di Marcovaldo (Hell) and Meliore di Jacopo (parts of Paradise) providing cartoons.
The upper frieze (2) shows the angelic hierarchies around all eight segments, whilst the rest of three segments (1) shows the Last Judgement, dominated by a huge figure of Christ, under whose feet is shown the resurrection of the dead. To Christ's right are shown the just welcomed into heaven, whilst on the left is hell and its devils.
The other five segments are subdivided into four horizontal registers showing (from top to bottom) stories from the Book of Genesis (3) and the lives of Joseph (4), the Virgin Mary (5), Christ (5) and John the Baptist (6). The first scenes from the Baptist's life are thought to be from cartoons by the Master of the Magdalen and Cimabue.
Angelic hierarchies
The closest part to the centre of the dome contains a series of frames with lively plant-form decoration, followed by a band with spirals and rhythmic figurative images reminiscent of the wheel in the apse – in each corner is a kind of vase made of fantastical plant elements, aligned to small columns in the lowest register. From the vases emerge two stalks which create large volutes and a central branch. Where the symmetrical volutes join and above the central elements are small heads between clipei and under the volutes are elaborate fountains, from which deer, peacocks, rams, herons and other animals drink, all based on early Christian art. Below this band runs a frame of shells.
The next ring illustrates Pseudo-Dionysius's angelic hierarchies with captioned images. At the centre is Christ Blessing, with an open book in his hand and flanked by red seraphim and blue cherubim, with the closest to him distinct in having three pairs of wings. Next, alternating from left to right and separated by small columns, are two pairs of each kind of angel. These all have two wings and are all identical to their pair, except for those on the same axis as Christ which are mirror images of each other: Thrones – charged with bearing God's throne in heaven and shown holding shining mandorlas, a conventional Byzantine symbol for God's throneFrugoni, cit., pp. 222–223. Dominions – the order of the universe depends on them; they are shown with a long sceptre surmounted by a three-leafed clover, a symbol of the Holy Trinity Virtues – charged with dispensing God's grace; they call demons out of small possessed men seated on blocks beside them Powers – charged with distributing powers to humanity and shown wearing crested helmets Principalities – charged with watching over the nations and shown holding crusader banners Archangels – the major counsellors sent from heaven, they are shown dressed in elegant robes and holding cartouches, symbolising God's messages Angels – the closest rank of angel to humans and thus put in charge of their preoccupations
According to Pietro Toesca, the artist behind the first register was the same brother Jacopo who worked on the rectangular apse, assisted by Venetian masters. The angelic hierarchies are traditionally attributed to Andrea Tafi and Apollonio, though Ragghianti argues Coppo di Marcovaldo produced the cartoon for the figure of Christ and the Master of the Maddalena that for the Powers.
Last Judgement
The three segments above the altar show the Last Judgement, with the centre almost completely filled by a figure of Christ the Judge seated on the Circles of Paradise and holding out his hands, showing his wounds from the Crucifixion, one facing palm up and the other palm down, directing souls to heaven and hell respectively. The large feet also show the wounds from the Crucifixion – their staggered pose, the robe's complex pleats and the side view of the legs avoid a rigid frontal effect, highlighted with golden tesserae. The cruciform halo includes mirror-like enamel cubes, also included in the border of the mandorla around Christ. Either side of the mandorla are three parallel registers, with two almost symmetrical hosts of angels at the top bearing symbols of Christ's passion and attributes of the Judgement, along with two angels sounding the last trumpet of the Apocalypse summoning the dead from their graves at Christ's feet.
In the second register are the Virgin Mary (with raised hands to Christ's right), John the Baptist (holding a scroll to Christ's left) and the twelve apostles seated on two long benches decorated as thrones. Each apostle holds an open book with characters from a different alphabet to show their taking the Gospel to the whole world after Pentecost. Behind the backrests and between the saints are angel heads, alternating in tilt from right then to left. Ragghianti (1957) assigned these scenes to Meliore, particularly comparing the figure of St Peter to Meliore's Christ the Redeemer with Four Saints (Uffizi).