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Monumental Statue for public view: St. Eligius by Nanni di Banco Nickname: St. Lo in Italy

Gable: Christ Blessing

Niche: inlaid images of large pair of tongs

Base: Socle relief of The Miracle of the Severed Hoof Guild: Arte dei Maniscalchi (Blacksmiths)

Date: Art Historians Mary Bergenstein and Zervas argue 1417-1420, while the late James Beck argued 1412-1416.

Nanni di Banco enrolled in 1405 to work on the goal of making Orsanmichele. Nanni di Banco was involved in city council, while Brunelleshi, for example, was not. Mary Bergenstein in her book, The Sculpture of Nanni di Banco states that di Banco was involved in politics (Bergstein, Mary Title The sculpture of Nanni di Banco / Mary Bergstein Published/Created Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c2000 ). This is important to note since his most famous sculpture of Quattro santi Coranati is mentioned to be his best work, gathering both the idea of men talking rhetoric and “mental fatigue” (1)Politics must have affected the sculpting of St. Eligius since comparing this statue contains it contains a Frankish symbol rather than a Florentine symbol of florentine lily as Bishop St. Zenobius portrays in 1503 by Monte di giovanni in Florence cathedral ( Marian Politics in Quattrocento Florence: The Renewed Dedication of Santa Maria del Fiore in 1412 Mary Bergstein Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 4 (Winter, 1991), pp. 673-719 ). At the same time, St. Eligius portrays virtues of humility and charity. His look has a sensible gesture but with touches of roman beard. Nanni’s workshop according to Bergenstein was, “ role of a specific social, intelectual, and political milieu.” Nanni’s father also played a role in his artistic development where his father was capomaestro and highly involved in Florentine politics. With Antonio di Banco as Nanni di Banco’s father, Nanni was able to work as a stone carver in a privileged society. Yet, also as Wilkins points out, “The idea of triumph of the brave over the strong and justice over tyranny appealed to Florentine republic” ( Wilkins, 66.) St. Eligius does portray both naturalistic and a lyrical style rather than a gothic one.

Primary records of Nanni di Banco’s St. Eligius tabernacle have perished from Orsanmichele, as did his work on St. Philip, and Quattro santi Coranati.1 According to Mary Bergenstein, St. Eligius and tabernacle must have been completed in 1420. This is due to the amount of time taken to conceive the western portals of where St. Eligius was placed in Orsanmichele from 1410 to ten years later. James Beck in “Jacopo della Quercia” in 1991 redates St. Eligius to be 1416 in Orsanmichele which means right after: St. Philip, St. Eligius, and then Quattro santi Coranati. On the other hand, art historian Paolo Vaccarino dates St. Eligius to be 1413-14 (Review: [untitled] John Pope-Hennessy Reviewed work(s): Nanni by Paolo Vaccarino The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 94, No. 591 (Jun., 1952), p. 182).

Restoration in 1989 revealed borders of St. Eligius robe were gilded, and his hair and beard were highlighted with gold (Bergstein, Mary Title The sculpture of Nanni di Banco / Mary Bergstein Published/Created Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c2000 ). Long-legged contrapposto with a Christian body and Roman head as art histrorian Bergenstein puts it. The saint is from 7th century and Nanni di Banco places the body with head of roman portrait heads. The beard of St. Eligius is traditional, while his other figure St. Philip is without one. Documentary references Nanni Di Banco in Florence between 1414 and 1418.1

Comparisons with other Italian Artists in Florence

The International Style is “awareness of atmosphereic phenomena” with flying figures expanded around 1400.(2) Christ is coming out of the slab which is similar to the putto he carved in the relief of Quattro santi coronati begun in 1408 and finished around 1416.(3) According to Geraldine Johnson, Nanni finished sculpting St. Eligius in 1415 due to the demands of patron and their interest in promoting civic humanism. He argues that this statue portrays a rhetoric atmosphere.5 Meanwhile, Roger Tarr argues the statue conveys a spiritual image.6 St. Mark was finished in 1413 by Donatello with a tradition of Andrea Pisano, according to Roger Tarr, the height resembles Giovanni Pisano gothic qualities.(7) The “Two Prophets” by Flippo Brunelleschi at the altar of St. James in Duomo, Pistoia bears a resemblance to di Banco’s gable of Christ Blessing in Orsanmichele. As Roger Tarr puts it in his article about Brunelleschi’s “Two Prophets,” “Christ gives a life-like naturalism that engages with attention.”6 At the same time, both Di Banco’s Christ and Brunelleschi’s are coming out of their slab. Nanni di Banco’s is more illusional that is as if Christ is going to fly off, while Brunelleschi’s is an older Christ with a temperment. I mentioned Brunelleshi to give again the dating of when Nanni di Banco may have completed the tabernacle of St. Eligius. Brunelleshi was in Florence in 1406, 1410, 1415, 1417 working at the Opera del Duomo. He may have influenced Nanni di Banco’s sculpting of the gable and portraying naturalism to both statue and gable.

St. Eligius has been depicted through paintings as either a craftsman or a bishop. His full titled name is St. Eloy of Noyon, the patron saint of goldsmiths. However, Nanni di Banco depicted St. Eligius as a bishop, with an ecclesiastical drapery as mentioned in the book written “Vita” by his friend Dado of Rouen in the 7th century(Medieval hagiography : an anthology / edited by Thomas Head ). The The narrative of St. Eligius continues in the socle relief where he is a craftsman attribute placed in the niche are tongs to represent iconographically St. Eligius. His nickname is St. Eloi or Eloy.

The meaning in the marble socle relief of the Miracle of the Severed Hoof The narrative story depicted here of St. Eligius hammering away gets continued off the rectangular base. Comparing this image to early Italian sculptures as Andrea Pisano, related to Nicola Pisano, it was the same theme of working with metal in his art work relief of a tradesmen “Metallurgy.” However, here the narrative is contained within the frame as is a funerary relief in 1st century titled, “Funerary relief of Roman Blacksmith.” Nicola Pisano also uses arms coming forward as in the arms of kneeling man in “Adoration of the Magi,” made of marble found in the panels of pulpits. At the same time, Nicola Pisano is noted for his classical Roman sculpture style. Mary Bergenstein states that St. Eligius has “gothic reminiscences” because of the stoic stance with “strident vertical direction.” It is different from the loosened socle relief narrative and just seeing the cloak he wears at the top and the manner if falls down as a classical drapery is somewhat stopped from falling freely. It is different to the gable of Christ where Nanni di Banco practices to use schiacciato carving where architecture does not bound the figure down. St. Eligius appears not to mind being bounded in the niche protected by the Corinthian colonnettes because of the contrapposto stance, although rigid but free standing but with a gravity pull to his feet. What makes his figurine more rigid is the inlaid images of the tongs spearing towards him upwards. The attribute of the tongs are puzzling. This is because of the manner placed inside the niche facing upwards. Attributes to St. Eligius are a hammer, horse, horseshoe, and tongs. However, legend stories tell him to be either a goldsmith and/or blacksmith. In this niche of St. Eligius he is considered more of a blacksmith. Unfortunately, this takes away the story of who really was St. Eligius. He lived om Gaul where than he joins Britannic Ocean. St. Eligius was at first a goldsmith working with his master until later he became Bishop of Nylon in 7th century. He started his life as an artisan and came to work in the court of Chlothar II the Frankish king. He sprang from a villa to live in the palace of the Frankish king.(8) St. Eligius was of Catholic Christian religion. Upon working as a goldsmith, he was asked to work on a chair and decorate it with gold and gems. With the money he made, St. Eligius freed Romans, Gauls, Britons, and Moors from being slaves or being held captives. The figurine when restored in 1989, art historians noted that St. Eligius had traces of gold in his garment. This is evident in the story of his life written by Dado of Rouen, another Bishop in 7th century, and also his friend. In the book Butler Lives of Saints by Herbery J Thurston, St. Eligius wore only silk with gold and stones. He founded a monastery in 632 named Rules of St. Columian and St. Benedict. His works were St. Lucian, St. Germanus of Paris, St. Genevieve, St. Martin at Tours, St Dionysisus at Saint Denis, and Crispinian at Soissons. St. Eligius was portrayed as a modest man who gave money to the poor and worked at not being influenced by riches to turn to greed. This is evident in the socle relief where a young woman passes by him as he trys to put on the severed hoof on the horse. Mary Bergenstein states that it is a demon gliding by to distract St. Eligius. What is perplexing is that other sources state that St. Eligius attribute is wielding a goldsmith hammer. In 1357 there is a seal in a Gothic niche, where he is dressed as a Bishop but holding a hammer. There are paintings of St. Eligius working in a workshop in the article, “The Legend of S. Eloy and S. Godeberta, by Petrus Christus, by H. Clifford Smith.” This leads one to question why Nanni di Banco or if his assistants decided to design tongs as the pattern inside the niche? The answer to when St. Eligius was conceived lies in understanding the Francisican society, where the ideology was giving to the poor and the idea that wealth was acceptable if spent wisely in praise of God. The perplexity of the tongs leads one to question what society thought of blacksmiths and patrons and sculptors.

1Bergstein, Mary Title The sculpture of Nanni di Banco / Mary Bergstein Published/Created Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c2000

2 The Date of Nanni di Banco's 'Quattro Santi Coronati', by Mary Bergstein The Burlington Magazine © 1988 The Burlington Magazine Publications, Ltd.. 3 p.92 Italian Gothic sculpture Pope-Hennessy, John Wyndham, Sir, 1913-1994 London : New York : Phaidon, 1972 3 p.95 Italian Gothic sculpture Pope-Hennessy, John Wyndham, Sir, 1913-1994 London : New York : Phaidon, 1972 4 Two Early Renaissance Putti: Niccolò di Pietro Lamberti and Nanni di Banco, by Mary Bergstein Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte © 1989 Deutscher Kunstverlag GmbH Munchen Berlin. 5 The Sculpture of Nanni Di Banco, by Geraldine Johnson, 2002 Art Bulletin 6 and 7 Brunelleschi and Donatello: Placement and Meaning in Sculpture, by Roger Tarr Artibus et Historiae © 1995 IRSA s.c..

8 Medieval hagiography : an anthology / edited by Thomas Head Published/Created New York : Routledge, 2001 8 The Legend of S. Eloy and S. Godeberta, by Petrus Christus, by H. Clifford Smith The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs © 1914 The Burlington Magazine Publications, Ltd.. and Dado of Rouen, Tranlsated by Jo Ann McNamara

For symbols not on St. Eligius hat see the lily symbol of Florence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur-de-lis