The female ¿ gure seated at the left front of this sarcophagus is Phaedra;
Theseus is the older man near her; and Hippolytus is in the center. The right
half of the relief shows the horse of Hippolytus bolting when the sea monster
sent by Poseidon appears. Nicola reversed the seated Phaedra when he
adopted the pose for his Madonna, perhaps to disguise the borrowing but just
as likely for compositional reasons. He also borrowed the triangular gable or
cornice above her head.
At the six corners of the pulpit, above the capitals of the supporting columns,
are small statues of the Virtues, as well as John the Baptist. Our example
shows the ¿ gure titled Fortitude, one of the so-called Cardinal Virtues,
symbolizing strength, courage, and endurance.
Nicola based him on the popular mythological
hero Hercules. The nudity is perhaps surprising
at such an early, pre-Renaissance date but is more
common than one might think. This model was
probably also on a sarcophagus.
Next, we consider Nicola’s The Nativity from the
Pisa pulpit. This also is reminiscent of a Roman
sarcophagus relief. The majesty of the reclining
Mary, presiding like a queen, is unforgettable.
Note that here the Nativity is combined with
the Annunciation. To the left of the reclining
Mary is the annunciate Mary and the Angel
Gabriel. The reclining Mary overlaps herself
in the Annunciation. In the foreground, the midwives wash the child while
Joseph watches; behind the birth bed, the infant is already laid in the manger,
while the shepherds receive news of his birth. These multiple simultaneous
narratives are a standard pictorial device in medieval art and continue well
into the Renaissance.
Nicola Pisano had a son, Giovanni (1248–after 1314), who shared his genius
in sculpture (both were architects, as well, for example, working on the Pisa
baptistery). Both belong to the Gothic era, but Nicola’s Classicism is in
striking contrast to his son’s art.
One of the most
beautiful and
monumental
architectural
complexes in Italy
is in Pisa, then a
rich port city on
the Arno near the
Tyrrhenian Sea.