Giovanni Pisano: one less mention and a sure mention

Abstract

 The article examines two documentary attestations related to Giovanni Pisano. The first is purely speculative: it involves the proposal put forth in 1994 by Andrew Ladis to recognize the great sculptor among the affiliates of the Compagnia dei Raccomandati al Crocifisso, a fraternity of ‘disciplinati’ that represented the most significant lay devotees in Siena during the late Middle Ages. There was a belief that Giovanni Pisano could be identified as the confraternity member “Giovanni dell’Uopera,” but in reality, the latter corresponds more precisely to a magister lapidum documented in the construction site of the Siena Cathedral, who died before 1318, named Giovanni/Vanni di Palmiero, also called “Giovanni dell’Opera.” The other document, emphasised here for the first time, represents the last known mention of Giovanni Pisano during his lifetime. In his capacity as a citizen of Siena, in the closing months of 1318, an assessment was conducted on his property in close proximity to the cathedral. This attestation provides fresh insights into the concluding years of the eminent artist, set against the backdrop of Siena, prompting a reconsideration of the original location of a work such as the Madonna and Child, presently housed in the State Museums of Berlin.