RELIEFI V SV. PETRU NAD DRAGONJO IN DELAVNICA PIETRA LOMBARDA Samo Štefan a t, Ljubljana Vasica Sv. Peter nad Dragonjo doslej ni bila znana po kakem pomembnejšem umetnostne m spomeniku.1 Vaška cerkev, podružnica fare v Krka vč ah, je slogovno dokaj neizrazita stavba, katere preprosta fasada je po vsej verjetnosti nastala v drugi polovici IS- stoletja. Nedvomno starejši od same fasade pa je relief cerkvenega patrona sv. Petra nad portalom. Na reliefu iz belega istrskega kamna, ki meri 109 a 51 cm,1 je v plitki školjčni niši frontalno upodobljen sedeči prvak apostolov S škofovskim pukrivalom na glavi ter s ključi v levici, medtem ko z desnico blagoslavlja (si, 28). Notranjost cerkve je bila močno osiromašena ob radikalni, a nestrokovni restavraciji okrog leta 1960, ko so zamenjali strop in odstranili baročne stranske oltarje. Vseeno pa se je nekaj kosov starejše opreme ohranilo. Obiskovalčevo pozornost pritegnejo predvsem trije reliefi: v ladijski steni sta vzidana reliefa z upodobitvijo j v. Janeza Krstnika in sv. Pavla (si. 29, 30, 31, 32). Merita po 120 x 42 cm, stoječa svetnika pa sta upodobljena v enakih Školjčnih niSah kot sv. Peter, Sv. Janez Krstni k je oblečen v kratko ogrinjalo in kaže z desnico proti kriiu, ki ga je nosil v levici, medtem ko je sv. Pavel oblečen v dolgo tuniko, prek katere nosi še težak plašč. V levici drži zaprto knjigo, v desnici pa navzgor obrnjen (a žal od lomljenj meč. Poleg omenjene poškodbe imata obe figuri polomljena stopala, sv, Janez Krstink tudi nekoliko poškodovan nos, sicer pa sta reliefa dobro ohranjena. Nad vhodom v zakristijo je relief z doprsno upodobitvijo Madone z dete-tiim (si, 33). Iz njegove oblike jasno razberemo, daje prvotno krasil trikotni tim-panon; v višino meri nekaj Čez 40 cm, njegova prvotna Širina pa je bila okrog 130 cm, medtem ko meri danes v Širino 6S cm. Marija z obema rokama drži sedeče 1 Po 2. svetovni vojni so vasico preimenovali v Raven in ji vrnil« prvotno ime Stsle spo mladi 1992. Sicer so italijanske i&zlič i cc itnenaS- Pietroda Masa,-S. Pieirod'ABi»tu ali S. Pietro delTAmata. Čeprav jc uradno imele vasice v piranskem zaledju Sveii Peier, uporabljani tU zaradi lažje predstave O lokaciji kraja ter zaradi nevarnosti zamenjave z drugimi kraji podobnih imen nekoliko prirejeno različico imena Sv. Peter nad Dragonjo. ' Zdi se, daje bil relief v spodnjem delu nekoliko skrajšan in daje bila prvotna višina okoli 120 cm. 67 dete, ki sc 7 desnico oklepa materinega vratu, medtem ko si je skrčeno levico z iz teg-njenimi prstki položilo na prsi. Vsi Štirje reliefi že na prvi pogled kažejo svoj renesančni značaj in visoko kvaliteto, zato je toliko bolj zanimivo vprašanje u njihovi provenienci, prvotni namembnosti ler seveda problem avtorstva in datacijc. Strokovni javnosti so bili naSi reliefi doslej praktično neznani: le t-miiijan Cevc jim je namenil kratek odstavek v svojem pregledu plastike na Slovenskem med gotiko in barokom. Za pisal je, da so reliefi menda priili v cerkev iz Kopra, kapiteli pripadajočih pilaslrov pa posnemajo oblike. kakrSne je bil uvedel že Alberti, O samih figurah ni napisal prav veliko: le o sv. Petru je menil, da je kljub renesančnim prvinam formuliran bolj ali manj v duhu primorske gotike konca 15, stoletja.' V Ccvčcvem zapisu je zanimivo predvsem dvoje: podatek, da so prišli reliefi iz Kopra ler opis pilastrov, ki jih danes oh reliefih ni. To delno pojasnjujejo zapiski konservatorjev, ki jih hranita republiški in piranski zavod za spomeniško varstvo. Iz njih razberemo, da so bili reliefi pred restavracijo na stranskih oltarjih, vendar v teh zapiskih, med katerimi je nekaj Zadnikarjevih, večina pa nepodpisanih, naleiinto le na skop podatek bret navedbe vira. da so bili oltarji menda prineseni iz Kopra. Več povedo stare fotografije cerkvene notranjščine: na njih vidimo, da sta bila reliefa sv. Janeza Krsmika in sv. Pavla kot nekakšni "krili" sekundarno nameSČena ob baročni severni oltar, medtem ko je bila Madona. tedaj Še v trikotnem timpanu, popolnoma neorgansko vzidana nad aliko južnega (si. 34). Če so stranska oltarja torej prinesli iz Kopra, to ne velja nujno tudi za naše reliefe. Dokumentacija na zavodih za spomeniško varstvo nam delno pojasnjuje itidi problem pilastrov, ki jih omenja limilijan Cevc: ohranjene SO njihove fotografije, ki so naslale po odstranitvi oltarjev iz cerkve, same pilastre pa bi morda odkrilo sistematično brskanje po skladovnici kamnitih fragmentov ?.a cerkvijo, če sc seveda v teh dolgih letih niso porazgubili po zasebnih zbirkah (si. -15). Po fotografijah lahko sodimo, da so se ohranili vsaj trije pilaslh s kapiteli: dva sta reliefno okraiena z motivom bogato razčlenjenih kandclabrov, na tretjem pa je serpentinasto zavita vilica z upodobitvijo ptiCa na vrhu (si. 36. 37). Fotografije notranjščine cerkve pred nesrečno obnovo nam pokažejo tudi. kje so bili pilaslri pred odstranitvijo iz cerkve: v obeh stranskih oltarjih so rabili kol okvir za sliki, poleg njih pa sta bila tam Se dva renesančno profilirana zidca. Tistega z motivom trakov, ki se prepletata in tvorita rozete, ho treba 5c najti, medlem ko je nekaj več kol meter dolg fragment drugega z listnim fifizom in kanelurami na ograji ob cerkvi. Sklepamo lahko, da so bili vsi li deli na baročnih oltarjih uporabljeni sekundarno. Oba stranska oltarja sta bila iz 17. stoletja (na južnem je bila celo letnica 1670). njuni sliki, ki sta še ohranjeni, pa sta skromna izdelka iz I1), stoletja. Do neke mere je mogoče tudi sklepati, kdaj so bili omenjeni deli vgrajeni v baročne oltarje. Kol bomo videli nekoliko pozneje, je precejSnja verjetnost, daje bil to nekdanji glavni oltar v cerkvi. Ker je slika sedanjega glavnega oltarja datirana z letnico 1801 .je ena od možnosti, da bi bili reliefi vgrajeni v stranske oltarje oziroma nad portal ob izgubi prvotne funkcije. E. Cevc: Kiparstvo na Slovenskem med gotiko in barokom. I .jubl j ail.i i VH1 (oil tod cilirano Cevc: Kiparstvo), p. I H. 68 Ne potrebujemo pusebno veliko domišljije za ugotovile v, da so vsi Štirje reliefi prvotno pripadali isti ccloti, katere del so bili tudi preostali kamnoseški izdelki. S precejšnjo gotovostjo lahko sklepamo, daje šlo za reliefni triptih z upodobitvijo sv, Petra v sredini, s sv. Pavlom na levi ter s sv. Janezom Krstnikom na desni. Arhitekturni okvir oltarja so sestavljali štirje pilastri, oba omenjena zidca, trikotno atiko, katere okvir se bo morda Se našel, pa je krasila podoba Madone. To je bil torej dokaj preprost oltarni nastavek, kakršni pa so bili v poznem 15, stoletju v lialiji in v sosednjih deidah dokaj pogosti. Če se bo v prihodnje posrečilo najti vsaj nekaj manjkajočih delov, hi bila vsekakor smiselna rekonstrukcija prvotnega stanja. Že na prvi pogled nas preseneti z telo renesančni značaj reliefov in visoka kvalitetna raven njihove izvedbe. V našem spomeniškem gradivu jim ne najdemo prave paralele: le pilastri s svojo reliefno dekoracijo nekoliko spominjajo na tiste, ki, sekundarno uporabljeni, sestavljajo pod boje obeh južnih ponalov koprske stolnice ali na tiste v frančiškanski cerkvi v Piranu.J Ta primerjava hkrati nakazuje smer, v kateri moramo iskali iz v ur naših reliefov. Nedvomno so nastali v neposredni odvisnosti od kiparskega ustvarjanja zgodnje renesanse v Benetkah, nadrobnejša analiza pa bo pokazala, da gre celo za izdelek delavnicc Pietra Lombarda. poleg An toni a Rizza vodilnega kiparja poznega beneškega quattrocenta.J O tem nas prepričajo tako figure kot arhitekturno okrasje. Fronta I na upodobitev sedečega ¿v. Petra seje zdela Emilijami Cevcu zasnovana v duhu primorske gotike, vendar najdemo prav taki upodobitvi neposredne paralele v opusu Pietra 1 .ombarda in njegovega kroga. Dekoracija kapele Giusti-niani v beneški cerkvi S. Franeesco della Vigna je nastala v več fazah v delavnici Pietra Lombarda in njegovih sinov.* Upodobitev sedečega jv. flieronima v osrednji niši oltarnega nastavka v osnovnih potezah močno spominja na našega sv. Petro in tli dvoma, da imata figuri isto slogovno izhodišče (si. 38). Razlika nastopa predvsem v tehniki, saj je sv. Hieronim izveden v visokem reliefu, sv, Peter pa v plitkem, BliJ.ja po tej plati je našemu relietu upodobitev J v. H ter onima v fi renskem Mu se o Rardini, ki jo novejša literatura pripisuje Lonibardovemu sodobniku in občasnemu sodelavcu Giovanniju Buoru (si. 39).7 Prostorska razmerja so prt oheh reliefih praktično identična. Zelo podohno pa se gubala oblačili obeh figur, čeprav ima Peter če/, do tal segajočo tuniko Še teiak plašč. Značilno gubanje tunike med koleni pride tako do izraza le v ozkem razporku plaSča. Na ftrenški leliet spominja tudi guba nje oblačila pri tleh, pri leni pa moramo ob nekaterih detajlih (oči, usta, roke) vendarle ugotovili, da ne gre za izdelek iste roke. Kljub lemu ngjdcmo tudi Petrovi glavi, katere oblikovanje je pogojeno 7. ikonografijo 1 N. Sllmi: A rhitektura XVI. Stoletja na Slovenske m, Ljubljana I 966, pp. 23-24. 1 Umetnik seje rodil v Caroni okrog leta 1435 in umri leta 1515. Za najosnovnejše podat- ke o njem cf. J. Pope-Hennessy: Italian Renaissance sculpture, New York 1985* (od tod citirano Pope Ilcnncssy: Italian Renaissance), pp. 89-95, 338-340,36S. ' O kapeli je doslej podrobneje pisala A. Mark h a m SehuIz (The GiiMimaiu Chapel and the Art of the Lo mbardo, Antichitč vivd, XVI/27,1977, pp, 27-44). 7 R. Munman, The Sculpture of Giovanni Buora: A Supplement, A rte Veneta. XXXIII, 1979 (od tod citirano Munman. The Sculpture), pp. 19-20. 69 lega svetnika, paralela v opusu Pietra Lombarda: podobno glavo ima sv. Murko ob nagrobniku doža Piclra Moccniga (ok. 1476) ali bradata stoječa figura ob Ma-doni v luneti nagrobnika doia Niccoloja Marcella iz okrog I48i (oba nagrobnika v cerkvi SS. Zanipolo)." S v, Pavel je skorajda vzoren primer 'lombardovske" celopostavne svetniSkc upodobitve. K.ar zadeva stoj ni motiv, srečujemo v opusu Pietra Lombarda dva osnovna lipa kontraposla, ki variirala predvsem v položaju počivajoče noge. Ta je pri nekaterih kipih rahlo skrčena, pri sv. Pavlu pa tako kol pri nekaterih drugih diagonalno iztegnjena, Značilni figuri tega tipa sta upodobitvi vstalega Kristusa in umrlega doia na nagrobniku Pietra Moceniga ter kip Pavla na enem od stranskih oltarjev v beneški cerkvi S, Stefano (si. 40).* Vse omenjene figure veže z našim sv. Pavlom tudi sistem draperije: le-tega označuje predvsem teiko Ogrinjalo, ki pada t rame proti nasprotnemu boku in ustvarja globoke iti mestoma rahlo zalomljene pahljačaste gube. med katerimi ostajajo skoraj gladke površine. Naj Za primerjavo naitejem le nekaj ključnih del Pietra Lombarda. Na prvem mestu velja opozoriti na že omenjenega jt. Pavla iz cerkve S. Stefano, mojstrovo lastnoročno, a ial ne datirano delti. Hnak sistem draperije najdemo tudi na vstalem Kristusu in na enem od atlantov na Mocenigovem nagrobniku (si. 41), na kipu ene od kreposti na nagrobniku Niccoloja MarceJla (si. 42). na kipu Boga očeta na nagrobniku Škofa (iiovannija Zanettija (freviso, stolnica, ok. 148.S) (si. 43)'° ter pri dopasnih podobah evangelistov v pendentivih pod kupolo cerkve S. Giobbe iz časa kmalu po 1470." Sicer pa je Lombardo razvil tak sistem draperije že na samem začetku svoje kariere na upodobitvi Madone na nagrobniku Antonia Ro-sellija v Padovi (II Santo) iz Časa okrog 1464-67.13 Tudi Pavlov obraz ne predstavlja posebnega problema in ga zaznamujejo značilne "lombardovskc" poteze, kot je na primer iz dveh polovic simetrično sestavljena brada. To velja tudi za poudarjene IiCniče in nekoliko shematično oblikovane oči, Vse naštete značilno sit ima tudi ie nekajkrat omenjeni kip istega svetnika v cerkvi S. Stefano, le daje kot eno najkvaliletnejiih Lombardovdi del izdelan mnogo bolj detajlno. Na enak obrazni tip hi naleteli tudi pri drugih bradatih figurah Pietra Lombarda in njegovega kroga, in to celo pri tako prof Miranih mojstrih, kot jcGiovanni Huora. " G. Mariacher, Pietro Lombardo a Venecia, Arte Veneta, IX, 1955 (od I od citirano Mari-achcr, Pietro Lombardo). pp. 44 (fig. 50)-46. ' L. Planiseig, Deti* reliefs en marbre de Pietro Lombard i. Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 1930 (od tod citirano Pianiscig. Deux reliefs), pp. 7-S. 10 It. M unman, The Lombarde Family and the Tomb of Giovanni Zanettî» An Bulletin, LlX, 1977, pp. 28-38: M. Cenana. Osserva/ioni sullaCappella Magginre del Duomo di Tre viso e sul la committenza del vescovo Giovanni datJdine, Venezia Arti, 5, 1991, pp. 134-144, " L Mc Andrew: L'architettnra veneziana del primo rinascimento, Vene/ia 1983 (od (oil citirano Me Andrew; L'architettura), pp. 137-145. 11 Dos lcj naj bolj podrobno o pado v an skem obd ubju u met n i ka A, M ose he tt i, U n ij u ad ri e n -nio d i Pieiro Lombardo a Pado va, Bollettino del M ti se o Civica d t Padava. XVI, 1913. pp, 1-99, XVII. 1914. pp. 1-43; G. l.orcn/oni. Dopo Donalello: Da Bartolomco Bcllano a d Andrea Riccio, l*e seul ture de! Samo di Padava, Vicenza 19R4, pp. 97-98. 7(1 5r. Janez. Krslnik nosi v skladu s svojo ikonografijo krajše ogrinjalo, katerega modelacija pa se popolnoma ujema 7 Lonibardovim slogom. Čeprav nekoliko poenostavljena, ima ta figura vse bistvene značilnosti kipa stoječega sv. Uieranima, podpisanega dela Pieua Lombard a. kije v beneški cerkvi S. Stefano pendant sv, Pavlu (si. 44),13 Tudi Krstnikova glava je oblikovana na način, ki je blizu Lombard o vemu in jo lahko primerjamo z dolgolasimi figurami, kot je npT, hnag a Pietatis na nagrobniku doza Fasquala Malipiera iz okrog I46S,J4 vstali Kristus na M ocen igo ve m nagrobniku ali vstali Kristus z nagrobniku Agostina Barbari- ga." V opusu Pietra Lombarda, njegove delavnice iti njegovega širSega kroga so tudi Številne podobe Marije z detetom. Njihova poglavitna značilnost je ■ Se posebej v primerjavi s sočasnimi llorentinskimi izdelki - dokaj preprosta zasnova z jasno prepoznavnim Marijinim oval ni m obrazom i istih, a dokaj posplošenih oblik. Podobno velja tudi za glave malega Jezusa s pogosto nekoliko zabuhlim obrazom ter malce daljšimi lasmi na tilniku, Oblačilo je ponavadi oblikovano preprosto z vzporednimi navpičnimi gubami. Naša Madona je torej le Se ena različica "lom-bardovskega" rlpa Madon in jo je mogoče primerjati z marsikatero med njimi, čeprav ne gre za neposredno kopijo katere od Lombardovih, Poleg značilnih obra znih tipov je posebej zanimiv položaj deteta, ki po eni strani spominja na relief v londonskem Victoria &. Albert Museumu,"1 hkrati pa tudi na Madonno delle Bia~ de v Doževi palači ter tia stoječo Madano v cerkvi SS. Vito e M ode sto v Spi ne i d i Mestrei slednji dve sla bili v novejšem času pripisani Giovanniju Buooi.17 Prav tako je bila Buoru pripisana Madonna v beneškem Seminanu Patriarcale, ki je tako po značaju celote kot po izdelavi detajlov še najbližja naši Madon i in bi hila lahko celo delo iste roke (si. 45). Seveda pa bi bilo treba v tem primeru ponovno preverili atribucijo Giovanniju Buori.Ji Zvezo Z Lombardovo delavnico potrjujejo tudi arhitekturni elementi, ki so nekoč pripadali oltarju v Sv. Petru. Kot ie rečeno, sta dva pllastra okrašena 7. bogato razčlenjenimi kandclabri. Gre za motiv, ki je značilen tako za florentinski kol za se ve ni oi talij an ski quattrocento in tako sam po sebi ne dokazuje ničesar. Toliko bolj pa je zato zanimiva serpent i na s ta vitica, ki jc krasila drugi par pila- 13 Planiscig. Deux reliefs, pp. 7-8, 11 I Jobru reprodukcija vi T. Pignatti: Il Quattrocento lombarde, Milano 1 l)6'J (od tod citirano Pig nam : // Quattrocento lombarde), p. 53. t av. XXXV. 11 Danes je la relief v Scunli Grande di S. Giovanni Evangelista. Cf. A. Markhitm Schulz, Pi et ro 1mbardo ' s B arh ari go Tomb in the Ve neti an Church ai S, Maria délia Carità, Art the Ape of Nature: Studies in Honour of H. VV. Jansoh, New York I9HI, pp. 171 - ll)2. Mariaêher. PietToUimhardo. p. 49. " A. Markhain Schulz, Giovanni Buora Lapicida, Ar«? ijimharda. ii5, I9S3 (od tod citirano Schulz, Giovanni Buora), pp. 55-56. 11 Schulz, Giovanni Buora. pp. 64-68: icliel je prijel v Scminario Patriarcale iz podrte ce rk ve S. Ci pr i ano na Muraûu. Žal Sc huizo vA bolj nad robu o kot podoh nosi i z B uoro vi -mi deli opisuje za Benetke prav niC presenetljiv ikonografski motiv spečega deteta. Dodam lahko te. dana reliefu ni Opa/.iti nekaterih za Buora značilnih "mnrellijevskih" prvin, koi je npr. izdelava rok s sredincem in prstancem, ki sta tesno drug ob drugem, medtem ko sta kazalec in mezinec nekoliko razmaknjena. 71 strov: spodaj izhaja iz snopa akatttovega listja in se vije proti vrhu na rak način, da med posameznimi zavoji nastajajo najrazličnejši cvetovi, na vrhu pa sedi ptič. Vilice so v zgodnji renesansi sicer pogost okras pil a sirov, vendar so take z vsemi opisanimi sestavinami posebej značilne prav za delavnico Pictra Lombarda. V nekoliko zreducirani obliki (brez pliča na vrhu) jih srečamo že na Lombardovem prvem beneškem delu, nagrobniku doia Pasquala Malipiera (SS. Zanipolo) iz okrog 1468," najbolj značilne v j tiče tega lipa pa krasijo pil a stre portalov cerkva S. Giobbe (po 1470) (si. 46) in S. Mana dei Miracoli (14SI 89) (si. 47).iu Ti pil a stri se od naših razlikujejo le po nekoliko bolj prefinjeni izvedbi ter po položaju ptiča na vrhu, ki ima razprte peruti O kapitelih pilastrov jc zapisal kratko misel že Cevc, ko jih je primerjal z Albertijevimi v loži Ruccllai v Firencah.21 Gre za kapiiele z akantovim listjem ob straneh ter z volutami. ki se na sredi v obliki lire spuščajo skoraj do dna kapitela. Ta oblika v resnici izvira iz Albertijcvcga ali Miehclozzovega kroga, vendar je doživela v številnih različicah največjo popu larnost prav v Benetkah, Naši kapiteli so malce poenostavljeni: manjka običajna pa Imela med volu tarna, čeprav hi po precej grobi površini kamna na tistem mestu lahko sklepali, da jc bila kdaj pozneje morda odklesana. Posebno pozornost si zasluži zidec. k t je pred nesrečno restavracijo rabil kot Spodnji del okvira slike in gaje krasil preplet dveh Irakov. Čeprav je ta ornameni flore ntinske g a izvora in naletimo nanj že v delih Bnmelleschija in njegovih naslednikov,^ ne moremo trditi, da bi bil eden najbolj razširjenih motivov, v Benetkah pa ga je sploh uporabljala le Lombardova delavnica. Najdemo ga npr. nit dvoriščnem portalu Scuolc Grandc di S. Giovanni Evangelista (si, 48) in na Ca" Gussoni." Prav tako kol pojav tega motiva je zanimiva tudi njegova lokacija; v obeh omenjenih primerih zaznamuje laini zidec, to pa tudi namiguje na njegovo nekdanje mesto na oltarju v Sv, Petru. S precejšnjo gotovostjo lahko sklepamo, da jc bil tudi tu služil v funkciji nekakšne predele. Kar zadeva arhitekturo oltarja, ostaja odprto le vprašanje preklade nad nišami: brez dvoma jc bil zanjo uporabljen še ohranjeni fragment, žal pa po ohranjenih oz. dokumentiranih sestavinah ne vemo natanko, uJi je šlo za preprosto preklado ali pa morda za bolj razvit arhitrav z dvema zidcema. Zaradi sorazmerno lahko prepoznavnega sloga delavnice Pietra Lombarda ostankov oltarja v Sv. Petru ni bilo težko uvrstiti v ta krog. nekoliko bolj pa se zaplete pri poskusu natančnejše alrihueije in daiacije. Čeprav jc bil Pietro Lombardo ob An lomu Rizzu eden vodilnih kiparjev poznega quattroceiila v Benetkah, je njegovo življenje in delo za zdaj dokaj slabo raziskano. Čeprav jc bilo o njeni napisanega že kar veliko, Je vedno pogrešamo predvsem izčrpno monografijo s L* Pignntti: U Quattrocento tombardo, p. 52, lav, XXXIV. ™ McAndrew: L'archiitetura, passim, 11 Cevc: Kiparsivo, p. 1K. " Najdenio ga npr. na Buggianovi pri/nici v S. Maria Novella ler na nekalcrih dtugih dciili Bninelleschijevih naslednikov, CF.e.g. F. Horsi - G.Morol 11 - K. Quinterior Bmneliesc- hiani, Roma 1979, passim. McAndrcw;L'archiltetura, pp.148,216. OCa' Gussoni ludi Mariaclicr. PictroLombardo. ji, 36. 66 kri t ¡i ni m katalogom.3' Jedro Lombardovega opusa, ki ga predstavlja veliko zaporedje doževskih nagrohnikov, je začrtano sorazmerno jasno, zato pa so toliko bolj težavne atribucije in datacije Številnih "obrobnih" del, s čimer je povezan tudi problem identifikacije posameznih mojstrov v delavnici Pietra Lombarda, njegovih sodelavcev in naslednikov. Novejše raziskave kažejo, da je Pietro vodil svojo delavnico nekako do konca devetdesetih let 15. stoletja, potem pa sta vodstvo prevzela sinova Tullio in Antonio," ki predstavljata s svojim klasicizmom enega vrhov beneškega kiparstva časa okrog leta 1500: u njiju je tudi veliko več literature koi o očetu. Vendar se problem Lombardove delavnice nikakor nc konča pn njegovih sinovih: iz skopih arhivskih virov in zgodovinskih pričevanj namreč vemo, da je imel mojster vedno veliko pomočnikov in učencev, pa tudi sicer so hile Benetke v zadnji četrtini 15. stoletja dobesedno preplavljene z lombardski-mi kiparji in kamnoseki. Znana je pritožba beneikih mojstrov iz leta 1491, ko so tarnali, da jim Milanexi, ki jih je bilo v mestu menda 126 in so imeli kakšnih 50 učencev, odžirajo posel in sprejemajo v uk samo svoje rojake.2i Če jih je bilo v resnici le za četrtino toliko, kot poročajo viri, je ob takem številu težko identificirati posamezne mojstre. Kljub temu je že v dvajsetih letih Le o Planiscig poskušal rekonstruirati umetniško osebnost mojstra, ki se je ob reliefu na po rta I u Lombardove cerkve S- M ari a dei Miracoli podpisal Pvrgoteles." Žal poskus ni bil preveč prepričljiv in avtor se jc tezi celo sam odrekel," Mnogo uspešnejša pa jc bila rekonstrukcija kiparskega opusa Giovannija Buora, ki postaja tako ena najopri-jemljivejiih osebnosti Lombardovega kroga, 7, vidika tega ekskurza v ustvarjanje Lombardovega kroga je naše reliefe nekoliko laie oceniti. Njihova kvaliteta seveda ne dosega l.ombardovih najboljših lastnoročnih del (npr. jv. Pavel in j v H ic ranim v c. S. Štefan o), je pa vendarle dovolj visoka, da izključuje možnost nastanka zunaj ožjega Lombardovega kroga 34 Temeljni (teli o umetniku su: P. Paoletii: L 'Architettuna e Iti Scultura del Rinuscimenio m Venezia, Veuezia 1 ¡193, passim; L. Planiscig: Venezianische Bildhauer der Renaissance. Witn 1 921 (od tod citirano Planiscig: Venezianische Bildhauer), pp.41 -80. Med novejšimi Študijami velja omeniti pregledni članek Mariacherja (Mariachcr, Pietro Lombardo), sicer pa je vsa pomembnejša literatura do I9S5 zbrana v pregledu J. Pope-Hennessyja {Pope-Henniisy: lialian Renaissance), pp. 33B-340, 368. ' Najpomembnejšo študijo o razvoju m delovanju Lombardove dduvnice jc prispeval M-Maek-Gcrard (Die "M ilanejii" in Venedig: Hin iieilrag zur lintwicklungigMChichte der Lombard i-Werks lau, Wallrirf-Richariz-Jahrbttcb, 1980. pp. 105-130 [od tod citirano Maek-Gerardl), Jh O konfliktu pariti a že A. Sagtcdo: Stille consorterie delit arli edificative m Venezia, Venezia 1856, p. 2&3, Ü dogodku razpravlja tudi Maek-Geraid, p. 111. 17 Planiscig: Veneziatfische Bildhauer, p p, 177-206. Verjetno &re za mojstra, ki ga v dokumentih srečuj cm o z imenom Zuan Zorzi Lase ar i s m je bil morda v resnici grškega porekla. L. Planiscig, PietTO Lombardo ed alcuni hassorilievi v ene z i an i del '400, Uedalo, X, 1929/30, pp. 461-481. " R, M unman. Giovanni Huma: The "Missing" Seulpiure, Ane Veneta, XXX, 1976 (M u n man. G iovan ni U uora), pp. 41 -6 L M Uflm an, The SCulpl ure; Sch u Iz, G i ovann 11'uoru. 73 ali cclo zunaj Benetk,w Izključena je tudi kakršnakoli povezava s sinovoma Tulli-om In Antoniom, saj na figurah ni opaziti klasiciztrajočih prvin. Več podobnosti je z Buorovimi deli, ki smo jih nekajkrat vključili tudi v neposredne primerjave, vendar ima omenjeni mojster nekaj "moraliijevskih" prvin (roke, modelacijs obrazov), ki jih pri naših figurah ni. Tudi draperija je pri njegovih celopostavnih figu rah (npr. apostoli v Montebelluni31) tinigačna: čeprav je bil mlajši od Pielra Lonibar-da. se Buora v nasprotju s TuIIioni in Anioniom ni usmeril v klasicizem, marveč je le nekoliko mehčal Pietrov sistem draperije. Kol so pokazale že primerjave, so naie figure najbližje prav Pietrovemu slogu, in to delom, ki so nastala nekako v času med 1470 in 1490. Njihov avtor ostaja torej za zdaj anonimen, vsekakor pa gre za človeka ti ožjega Pielrovega kroga. Natančnejše raziskave bodo nemara prepoznale njegovo roko še na kakem drugem spomeniku, pri tem pa bo morda odigrala določeno vlogo tudi njegova osebna nota: obnizi so namreč modelirani sorazmerno mehko in brez ostrih kontur, ki so značilne za Pietra Lombarda. Slogovni značaj fig ar nam daje tudi osnovno orientacijo prt dataciji. Glede na to, da se navezujejo na Pietrovo zrelo obdobje ter da reliefi nimajo značilnosti sloga Tullia in Antonia Lombarda oziroma Giovannija Buora. iahko sklepamo, da so nastali v osemdesetih ali devetdesetih letih, vsekakor pa Se pred letom 1500. S kakšno slogovno retardacijo tukaj ne smemo računati, saj je očitno, da je deio nastalo v Benetkah v ožjem l.ombardovem krogu. Ostanki oltarja v Sv. Petru niso edino delo Lombardovcga kroga na vzhodni obali Jadrana. Poleg le omenjenih pilastrov v Kopru in edikule v piranski frančiškanski cerkvi moramo omeniti še kip Justicije v koprskem Pokrajinskem muzeju, Že pred leti je Emilijan Cevc opozoril na lombardovske prvine pri tem kipu, hkrati pa tudi na izrazito konservativne elemente." To tudi otežuje dataeijo. pri kateri mortuno upoštevati tudi možnost retardacije, saj ne gre za delo Lombardovcga ožjega kroga ampak slej ko prej za posnemovalca, čc ne celo za lokalnega mojstra. Dekoracija fasade v Osoru na otoku Cresu je bila nedavno pripisana Giovanmju liuoru, nastala pa je verjetno neposredno pred letoni 1498, ko je bila cerkev posvečena." Nedvomno gre tu za delo. ki je bilo že ob naročilu namenjeno' osorski katedrali, naključni import pa je, kot kaže, skupina Oznanjenja i i Pule, ki jo je Kan Matejčič pred kratkim tesno povezal s Pietrom Lonibardom.'J Posebno 111 Tudi v samih Benetkah naletimo nj dela «ijega Lombardovcga kroga, ki po kvaliteti zaostajajo za naiimi reliefi. Tak primer so nekateri kipi z nekdanje kome pregrajecerkve,S. Ste lan o. Večina omenjenih kipov doslej ni doživela podrobnejše strokovne obravnave, njihove fotografije pa so dosegljive v fototeki Kunsthistorisches Instituta v Firencah. Munnlan, Giovanni Buora, pp. 50-51, " E. Cevc. SrednjeveSka plastika tut Slovenskem. Ljubljana 19G3. pp. 296-29R. Nastanek kipa je Cevc postavil ic v čas okrog 1465-70. 1' S. Štefanac, O arhitekturi i kiparski ni ukrasima osorske katedrah-, 1'nluzi povijesti umjet-nosti tt Dalmaciji, 26, I9S6/R7, pp, idem. Le scullure di Giovanni Buora a Ossero, Venezia Arti. 3.1989, pp. 41-45. " 1 Matejčič, Ranoreaesansiia grupa NavjeStenja i/ Pule. Peristil, XXXIII, 1990. pp. 5360; Tisuču godina hrvatske sku Ipt ure = Thousand yea rs ofCroatian Sculpture .Muzejski prostor, Zagreb 1991. p. 74 (kat. 2S, Re) ¡r.k.|. 74 vabljiva je Matejčičeva misel, tla gre morda za dele Barburigovega nagrobnika v beneSki cerkvi S- Maria della Carita, ki je bil leta 1H07 razstavljen Če bo teza obveljala, bo potrebno upoštevati tudi novoodkrite arhivske dokumente, ki pričajo o vodilni vlogi Giovannija Buora in Bartolomea d i Domen ieo Duea pri izdelavi nagrobnika.3' Tudi ob oltarju iz Sv. Petra se zastavlja vprašanje, ali gre tudi tu le za naključen impon, Pri nas pač nismo vajeni, da bi se kvalitetno umetniško delo znaSio v skromni podružnici kako drugače kot pO naključju, vendar obstaja prav V tem primeru precej i nja verjetnost, da gre v resnici za nekdanji glavni oltar v cerkvi. S pairocinijem cerkve se sklada £e ikonografija oltarja s podobo sv. Petra v sredini, na nekdaj pomembno vlogo vasice Sv. Peter pa nakazujejo skopa zgodovinska pričevanja. V Valierovi vizitaciji iz leta 1579 najdemo resda zgolj omembo cerkve nekoliko bolj izčrpna pa je N al d in ¡jeva Corografia iz leta 1700. ki poroča, daje bila vasica nekoč pomemben utrjen kaStel, Omenja tudi cerkev in tri oltarje v njej, vendar jih žal ne opisuje detajlno.17 Sicer pa v literaturi preberemo Je en ne docela preverjen, a toliko bolj zanimiv podatek: v bližini vasi je stal kaštel Čuklja (it Zuccole), ki je bil tako kot večina ozemlja okrog Sv. Petra v lasti znane koprske rodbine Vergerijev." Leta 1546 seje tja zatekel tudi Peter Pavel Vergerij, znani simpatizer protest a n ti zma in prijatelj Primoža Trubarja.:lv Rodbina Vergeri-jev je dala prvega pomembnega moia že na začetku 15. stoletja: Peter Pavel starejši je imel tesne stike s pomembnimi humanisti svojega časa,40 žal pa vemo bolj malo o generaciji, kije živela med smrtjo starejšega (1444) in rojstvom mlajšega Petra Pavla (1498).41 Kljub temu ni izključeno, da bi imela prav omenjena rodbina zasluge za nastanek oltarja. Zdi se verjetno, da bi bili Vcrgeriji celo naročniki: na " B, Roeck. Zu Kunstaufiriigen des Dogen Agostino Barbarigo (1419-1501), Zeitschrifi fiir Kunstgtsehich. 75 to delno namiguje ludi izbor svetnikov, saj njihova imena ustrezajo tradicionalnim imenom pri Vergerijih (Janez Krstnik je bilo ime bratu Petra Pavla mlajšega). Seveda nimamo nikakršnih neposrednih dokazov, ki bi lezo potrdili, vendar se zdi povsem verjetno, da bi prišlo kvalitetno beneško delo v vaško cerkev kot donacija pomembne in humanistično izobražene rodbine, kije imela za nameček v kraju in okolici pomembno posest. V skromni beri kvalitetnih spomenikov zgodnje renesanse nanašihlJeh imajo reliefi v Sv, Petru nedvomno velik pomen in jih ne bi smeli obravnavati mačehovsko. Čeprav po vsej verjetnosti niso nastali na naših tleh, jih moramo ob možnosti, da so bili naročeni in izdelam prav za to cerkev, sprejeti kol enakovreden del naše kulturne dediščine. K. temu nas toliko bolj zavezuje njihova kvalitetna raven, saj je dovolj visoka eelo po kriterijih, s katerimi ocenjujemo dela delavnice P i etra Lombarda, Naši reliefi tako predstavljajo tudi prispevek k dopolnitvi opusa tega pomembnega beneškega umetnika poznega 15, stoletja, 7(1 THE RELIEFS AT SVETI PETER NAD DRAGONJO AND THE WORKSHOP OF PIETRO EOMBARDO Li y S amu Stefan Lit, Ljubljana The village of Sveit Peler nad Dragonjo in [stria has not previously been known for any important work of art.1 The village church, filial to the parish church at KrkavÈe, is an insignificant building in terms of style with a simple façade and probably dates from the second half of the 18th century. Undoubtedly older than the façade is the relief of Si feier, the patron saint of the church, in a shallow shell-topped niche above the portal, [t is made of white Istrian stone and measures J 09 x 51 em.: The apostle is shown silting en face, crowned with a mitre, holding the keys in his left hand and making a sign of blessing with his right (pi, 28). The interior was greatly impaired by a drastic and incompetent renovation around I960, when the old ceiling was replaced and the Baroque side altars were removed. However, some ot the old features have been preserved. Three reliefs ti ¡tract the visitor's eye: two of the m are in the nave wall and represent St John rhe Baptist and Paul* respectively (pis. 29, 30, 31. 32). Liach of ihem measures 120 x 42 cm. Doth reliefs are localed in shell-lopped niches like that of St Peter, and each saint is shown standing. St John ihe Baptist wears a short cloak and points with his righl hand to a cross on the left. Si Paul is dressed in a long tunic and heavy coat and holds a closed book in his left hand and an upturned sword (unfortunately broken off) in his right. Apart from the damage to the sword, ihe feet of both ligures are broken and die nose of St John the Baptist is damaged. Otherwise both reliefs are well preserved. Ahove the entrance to the saensiy is a relief showing a half-length Virgin and Child (pi. 33). Its shape clearly indicates that its original location was the tympanum: it is over 40 cm high, while its original width was around 130 em as opposed to the present width of 65 cm. The Virgin holds the seated Child with both hands while the Child's hand clings to her neck. His left hand rests on his chest with fingers splayed. 1 After the Second World War the village was renamed Raven. The original name was restored in spring 1992. Italian variants of the name are S. Pictro da Mala, S, Pielro d'Amata or S- Pictro deM'Amata. 1 The relief seems to have been shortened slightly in the lower section and the original height was about 120 cm. 77 The questions of the provenance, original purpose, authorship and age of the four reliefs are all the more interesting for their Renaissance character and high quality, which are evident at first sight. Until now the reliefs have been virtually unknown to scholars: they have been addressed only by Emilijan Cevc in a shon paragraph in his survey of sculpture in Slovenia beiween the Gothic and Baroque periods. Cevc claims that the reliefs were probably brought to the church from Koper (Capodistria), and that the capitals of ihe pilasters copy the formal innovations of [.eon Battista Albent. He says litilc about the figures other than that the figure of St Peter, despite its Renaissance elements, is fashioned largely in the spirit of Gothic art in the Istnan region at the end of the 15th century1. Ccvc1s discussion contains two main points of interest: the suggestion that the reliefs are from Koper and the description of the pilasters which no longer accompany the reliefs. This is explained in pan by ihe conservators' notes, preserved in the National and Piran Institutes of Monument Conservation, which reveal that the reliefs were situated in the side altars before the renovation. These notes, some by Marijan Zadnikat but most unsigned, are rather scant and do not cite a source for the claim that the altars may have come to St Peter's from Koper. The photographs of the interior of (he church before renovation are more revealing: they show that the reliefs of St John the Baptist and St Paui were installed secondarily on either side of the Baroque north altar as "wings", while the Virgin, at iliat time still in ihe triangular tympanum, was inappropriately built into the wall above the attic of the south altar (pi. 34). If the side altars were indeed brought here from Koper, this is not necessarily true of the reliefs. The documentation preserved at the institutions of monument conservation to some extent elucidates the problem of the pilasters mentioned by Cevc, si nee photographs of them dating from after the removal of the altars from the church have been preserved. A systematic search of the stone fragments behind the church might yield the pilasters themselves if they have not become part uf private collections (p| 35). It can be inferred from the photographs that at least three pilasters with capitals were preserved: two of them are decorated in relief with the motif of richly articulated candelabra while on the third can be seen a tlorialion with Ihe image of a bird on top (pis. 36, 37). The photographs of ihe church from before Lhe unfortunate renovation also show Ihe location of the pilasters before their removal: in both side altars they served as framing for the pictures. In addition, there were two cornices with Renaissance mouldings. The one with the guilloche has yet to be located, but the second, a fragment more than a metre in length with a leaf frieze and fluting, has been found on the fence running alongside the church, 11 can he concluded thai all ihese fragments came inio secondary use when included into the Baroque altars. Both side altars date from the 17th century (the year 1670 can be seen on the south altar), whereas the paintings, which have been preserved, are modest products of the l'Jlh century. Il is also possible within limits to determine when these fragments were built into [he Bart>quc altars. As will become clear later, it is highly probable that this was 1 E, Cevc; Kiparxivo nu Slovenskem met! goiika in barokom, Ljubljana I'iSI {Cevc: Kiparsrvo). p, 1K, 78 once the main altar in the church. Since the painting of the present main altar is dared 1801, one possibility is that the reliefs were built into the side altars or above the portal after they had been deprived of their primary function. It does not require a great deal Of imagination to cstahlish that all four reliefs originally belonged to a single whole which also incorporated the remaining stone artefacts. In all likelihood there was a triptych with St Peter in the middle, St Paul on Ihe left and St John the Baptist on the l ight. The architectural framework of the altar consisted of four pilasters and the two cornices mentioned earlier, while the triangu laT tympanum, the frame of which might stil I be discovered, was ornamented with the relief of the Virgin Mary. This was a rather simple altarpiece of the kind that was frequently used in Italy in the late 15th century If at least some of the missing parts were to be found, a reconstruct ion of the original state would in any case be sensible. The Renaissance character of the reliefs and the excellent quality of the work are immediately apparent. They have no parallel in Slovenia, although the pilasters with their relief ornamentation are reminiscent of those used secondarily as doorposts for the two south portals of Koper Cathedral and of those that can be seen at the Franciscan church in Piran.4 This comparison points to the origin of the reliefs discussed. They are without doubt directly related to the sculpture of the early Renaissance in Venice and a detailed analysis will show that they were made in the workshop of Pietro Lombardo, the leading sculptor, after Antonio Rizzo, of the Quattrocento in Venice. Both the figures and the architectural decoration militate towards this view. According to Emihjan Cevc, the frontal figure of the seated St Peter was executed in the spirit of Gothic art in [stria, but there are two direct para lie Is in the work ol Pietro Lombardo and his circle. The decoration in Ihe Giustiniani chapel in the church of S. Francesco della Vigna in Venice was made in stages in the workshop of Pietro l.ombardo and his sons.'1 The seated St Jerome in the centra! niche of the altarpiece strongly resembles our St Peter and there is no doubi that the two figures share the same stylisLic principles (pi. .18). The difference is mainly one of technique, as St Jerome is in high relief while St Peter is in low relief. In this respect, the relief of St Peter is closer to Sr Jerome in the Museo Bardini in Florence, which recent scholarship attributes to Lombardo "s contemporary and occasional collaborator Giovanni Buora (pi, 39).7 The spatial relationships are all but identical, In both reliefs there are similar folds in the clothes of each figure, although St Peter wears a heavy coat over the ankle-length tunic. The pronounced fold in the tunic between the knees is visible only through the narrow opening in 4 N. Sumi: Arfttii-Jtfu™ XVI, staler ja rta Slovenskem, Ljubljana I9£i6, pp. 23-24. 1 The artist was born in Carotin around 1435 and died in 1515. Cf, J. Popc-Hennessy: Italian Renaissance Sculpture. New Vork IHÜ5 (I'opeTlennessy: Italian Renaissance), pp. 89-95. 33R-340, 36S, 1 The chapel has been discussed in detail by A, M arkham Schulz (The Giusiiniam Chapel and the An of the Lombarde. An tic h itä viva, XV1/27,1977, pp. 27-44), ' K. Munman, The Sculpture of Giovanni Buora: A Supplement, Arte Veneta, XXXIII. 1979 (Munman. The Sculpture), pp. 19-20. 79 the front of she coat, The creasing of the garment just above the floor is also reminiscent of the relief in E'lorence, although several details (eyes, mouth, hands) shuw that it was not done by the same hand- There are nevertheless parallels with St Peter's head, which conforms 10 conventional iconography of the saint, in the work of Pietro Lombardo: similar heads are found on the figure of St Murk on the tomb of the doge Pietro Mocenigo (c. 1476) and the bearded figure standing next to the Madonna in the lunette of the tomb erected to Niccolo Marcello from c. 14SI (both tombs can be seen in the church of SS Zanipolo).' Si Paul is all but exemplary of a full-length saint figure in the manner of Lombardo. Willi regard lo the standing position, there are two basic types of contrapposto in the work of Pietro Lombardo, which differ mainly in the disposition of the resting leg. In some examples it is slightly bent, while in others, as in that of St Paul, it is diagonally extended, Characteristic figures of ihis type are the Resurrected Chrisi tinti the dead doge on the tomb oi Pietro Mocenigo and the statue of St Paul in one of the side altars in the church of S. Stefano in Venice (pi. 40).'' The above-mentioned figures are all further related to that of St Paul by the system of drapery, which chiefly consists in a heavy cloak falling from the shoulder towards the opposite hip, thus creating deep, and in some places slightly broken, fan-shaped folds with almost even surfaces in between. For the sake of comparison, we could enumerate a few key works by Pietro Lombardo. Certainly the most important is the statue of St Paul in S. Stefano in Venice, created by the master himself but bearing no date. The same system of drapery is seen on the Resurrected Christ as well as on one of the atlanles on Mocenigo's tomb (pi, 41), on a statue of one of the Virtues on the tomb of Niccoli) Marcello {pi. 42), on the statue of God the Father on the tomb of 11 ishop Giovanni Zanetti (Treviso Cathedral, c. 1485) (pi, 43 J" and on the halt-length figures of the evangelists in the pendenlives below the cupola of the church of St Giobbe from c. 1470." Lombardo developed (his system of drapery at ihc very beginning of his career in his Virgin Mary on the tomb of Antonio Roselli in Padua (II Santo), which dates from c, 1464-1467. Paul's face presents mi difficulties either, with its features characteristic of Lombardo such as the heard of two symmetrical halves, the emphasised chcekboncs and the somewhat schematically executed eyes. These characteristics area!I visible 1 C, Mariacher, Pietro Lombardo a Venezja, Arte Véneta, IX, 1955 (Mariacher, Pietro Lombardo), pp. 44 (flg. 5QJ-46. * L, Planiscig, Dcux Reliefsen nlarbrc de PieimLombardi, Gazettedes Beaux-Arts, 1930 (Planiscig, Deus Reliefs),pp. 7-ü. " R. Munman. The Lombardo Family and the Toinb of Giovanni Zanciti, Art Bullerin, I .IX, 1977, pp. 2R-38; M. Cenan a, Osscrvazinni sulla Capella Maggiore del Duomo di Trtvisoc sulla tommilienza del vescovoGiovanni da lldinc, Venezia Art i, V, 1991, pp. ]34-144. " J. McAndrew: I.'arvhitetturu vtneziana del primo rinast tinento, Venezla 1983 (McAndrew: L'architettura), pp, 137-145. '-' The most delaüed study so far on thc Paduan period of ihe arli^i cf- A- Moschttli, Un quadrienniodi Pietro Lombardo a Padova. Boliettino del Museo Cívico di Padova. XVI, 1913, pp. 1-99 and XVII, 1914, pp M3;G, Lorenzoni, Dopo Donalello: Da Harlnlnmeo Rellano ad Andrea Riccio, Le scutlure delSattlo di Padova, Vicenta 19H4. pp, 97-98, 80 on the statue, mentioned here sc vera! times already, of the same saint in the Venetian church of S. Siefuiio. This type of facia! representation is present on other bearded figures by Pietro Lombardo and his circle, and even in the work of such prominent artists as Giovanni Buora. In accordance with conventional iconography. Si John the Baptist wears a short cloak. It is executed in a style which conforms to that of Loitibardu. Although the figure is simplified, it shows all the basic features of the standing saint, St Jerome. The work bears the signature of Pi elm Lombardo. It represents St Paul's counterpart in S. Stefan» in Venice (pi. 44).11 The head of St John the Baptist is also reminiscent of Lombardo* s style and is comparable to i he long-haired figures such as Imago pie tat is on the tomb of the doge PaSijuale Malipiero from c. 1468'*, the Resurrected Christ on Mocenigo's tomb, or the Hesurrected Christ on the tomb of Augustino Barbarigo.1J The work uf Pietro Lumbardo. his workshop and his wider circle also includes several representations of the Virgin and Child. Their main characteristic when compared to contemporary Florentine works is a relatively simple conception with a distinctively oval shape to the Virgin's face composed of pure but generalised forms. The same is true of the head of the infant Jesus, which frequently shows a swollen face and relatively long hair at the neck. The gaimcnt is usually simple in form with parallel vertical folds. Our Virgin, then, is another variation on a Lombardo type and is comparable to, but is not a direct copy of, others from Lombardo's workshop. Apart from the characteristic facial types, the pose of the Child is especially interesting. On one hand it resembles the relief at the Victoria & Albert Museum"' while on the other it is reminiscent of the Madonna delle Biade in the Doge's Palace and af the standing Madonna in the church ofSS. Vilo e Modesto in Spines di Mestre, boih Of which have recently been ascribed to Giovanni Buora," The Madonna at the Seminario Patriarcale has likewise been attributed to Buora. 1 he character ol the work both as a whole and in terms of detail has much in common with our Madonna and it may even be the work of the same person (pi. 45). In this light, the attribution to Giovanni Buora1" should be 11 Pluniseig, Den* Reliefs, pp.7-8, M A good reproduction Is found in: T, Pignaiti: 11 Qtiuttrocento lombardo, Milano 1969 (Pignatii: II Quattrocento lombardo), p. 53, lav. XXXV, Li Today this relief is in Scuola Grande di S.Giovanni Evangelista, Cf. A, Markham Schulz, Pietro Lom hardo's Barbarigo Tomb in I lie Venetian church of S, Maria del I a Cariflk, Arr the Ape of Nature: Srudies in Honour of H. IV. Jansnn. New York 1981, pp. 171-192. 14 Mariaeher, Pietro Lombardo, p. 49. J' A. Markham Schul/., Giovanni Buora Lapicida, Arte Lombards, 05. I9B3 (Schultz, Giovanni liuora), pp. 55-56, 11 Schuk, Giovanni B uora, pp. 64-68: the relief came to tbe Semi narinFalriarcHle Emm the demolished church of S. Ciprianoon Muran. Unfortunately Schulz devotes more effort to describing the i sonographic motif of the sleeping child (not unusual lor Venice) ill mi she does to wriiing about the similarities in Buora's works, (i can only be added lhai the relief does nut show any ul lilc "more Hi an" elements typical Ol Huora, such us the hand with the middle and ihird lingers held logelhcr while the forefinger and Hide finger arc splayed. 81 reconsidered, The connection with Lombardo's workshop is further confirmed by the architectural elements which were once part of St Peter's altar, ft has already been mentioned that the two pilasters are richly ornamented with candelabra. The motif is typical of both the Florentine and the North Italian Quattrocento and dnes not in itself constitute proof of the link with Lomhardo. The floriation on the second pair of pilasters, however, is much more interesting. It grows out of a tuft of acanthus leaves at the bottom, then climbs in twists and turns with various llowers in between and a bird perched at the top. In the early Renaissance flotations were a frequent embellishment to pilasters, hut the kind described here is especially characteristic of Pietro Lombardo's workshop. They can be seen in a somewhat reduced form (with no bird at ihe top) in Lombardo's first Venetian work, the tomb of the doge Pasquale Maiipiero (SS Zanipolo) from around 1468, How ever, the most important Ho nations of this type decorate the pilasters at the portals of St Giobbe (after 1470) (pi. 46) and Santa Maria dei Miracoli (1481-1489) (pi, 47).:o These pilasters differ from ours only in their slightly finer execution and in Ihe posture of the bird at the top, which has outspread wings. The capitals of the pilasters are mentioned by limilijan Cevc, who compares them wilh those by L. B. Alberti in the Loggia Rucellai in Florence.21 These capitals are decorated with acanthus leaves at the sides and with vuluics sweeping down the middle in the shape of a lyre and almost reaching ihe bottom of the capital, This form in fact originated in the circles of Alberli and Michelozzo. but it was in Venice that its numerous variations bccamc most popular, Our capitals are somewhat simplified: ihe usual palmcttc between the volutes is missing although ihe rather rough surface of the stone suggests that it may have been chipped off later. The cornice which served as the lower part of the picture framework until the regrettable renovation, and which was decorated with aguilloche, merits individual consideration. Although this ornament is of Florentine origin and exists in the works of Bruneleschi and his successors," it cannot be said to have been among the most popular motifs, In Venice it was used only in Lombardo's workshop. It is present, for instance, on the portal of the Scuola Grande di S. Giovanni Lvangelista (pi, 48) and on Ca' Gussoni," As interesting as the prescncc of the motif is its location: in both examples it is on the plinth, a fact which hints at its former position in the altarpiece of St Peter's church. It most probably served as a kind of predella. With regard to the arc hi lecture of the altarpiece, ihe only question to remain open is that of the constructional element above the niches. The preserved " Pignatti: ft QiMttrocenio lombartlo. p. 52, tav. XXXIV. " Mc Andrew; L'nrvhitlelura, passim. 11 Cevc: Kipamvo. p, 18. " It occurs, for instance, on Buggiano's pulpit in the church of 3. Maria Novella and in other works by Brtinelleschi's successors. Cf. e.g. F. Borsi - G, Morolli - P. Quinterio; BruHetleschiarti, Roma ]979,p,28et passim, repr. 86 Similarly decorated are the ribs of the cupola in the church of S. Spiriio, which was built around 1480 by Salvi d'Andrea (ibid-, repr. 339-341), 51 Me Andrew: L'archiltelura, pp. 148, 216. Oa Ca'Gussoni see also Mariacher, Pietro Lombiirdo. p, 36. 82 fragment musl have been used as an architrave, but it is unfortunately impossible to tell from the preserved and documented parts whether there was a simple archilrave or a fully developed entablature. Because of the distinctive style of Pietro Lombard o's workshop, it was not difficult to attribute the remains of the altarpicce in St Peter's church to that circle. However, supplying a more precise attribution and dating is Jess easy. Although Pietro Lombardo was. along with Antonio Rizzo, one of the leading sculptors of the late Quattrocento in Venice, his life and work have yet to be researched adequately, Much has been written on the subject, but an extensive monograph with a critical catalogue is still lacking.1* The nucleus of Lombardo"s work, his many tombstones forlhe Doges' tombs, is clearly visible. Ascertaining the origins and dates of numerous "marginal" works, however, poses a more formidable problem, involving the idem if icat ion of individual masters in Pietro Lombardo" s workshop, his collaborators and successors. Recent research has shown that Pietro was in charge of the workshop until some Ume in the late 1490s when his sons Tullio and Antonio look mer,^ whose classicist works are among the peaks of Venetian sculpture from the period around the turn of the sixteenth century. A great deal more has been written about them than about [heir father. However, the ijuestion regarding LombardoTs workshop does not end with his sons. It is evident from the scant archival sources that the master always had numerous assistants and apprentices. Moreover, Venice was flooded with Lombard sculptors and stonemasons towards Lhe end of (he 15th cenLury. It is well known that in 1491 the Venetian master sculptors complained that the Milanexi - of which there were 126 in the city, with about 50 apprentices were endangering their livelihoods by accepting only their native people as apprentices.a Even if there were in fact only half as many as the sources indicate, their numbers make it difficult to identify the individual masters. In the early 1920s Leo Planiscig nevertheless attempted to reconstruct the ariistic personality of the sculptor who signed himself Pyrgoteles on the relief iin the portal of Lombardo's church S, Maria dei Miracoli." Unfortunately, his conclusions were unconvincing and he subsequently renounced 14 Two basic works on the artist are: P. Paoletti: L'Architettura e la Scuhura del Rinascimenio in Venezia, Veneria 1893, passim, L. Planiscig: Venezianische Bildhauer der Renaissance, Wien 1921 (Planiscig: Venezianische Bildhauer), pp. 41-80, Among recent studies the survey by Giovanni Mariacher deserves mentioning (Mariachcr, Pietro Lombardo). while the more important literature up to 1985 is eiied in the survey by J, Pojie HenneSsy {Pope-HenIlcssy: Italian Renaissance, pp. 338-340,3fi(i). Che most important study on the development and work of Lombardo's workshop has recently been published by M. Mack-Gerard (Die "Milancsii" in Venedig: Ein Beitrag zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der Lombardi-Werks(au, Wallraf-Richortz-JaiirbucH, 1980 (Maek Gerardpp. 105-130). 111 The conflict was documented by A. Sag red Suite consortcrie delle arti edi/icaiive in Venezia, Venezia 1856, p. 283. The cvems are alsn discussed by Mack-Gerard (Maek-Gerard.p, 111). 1 P! an i s c i g: Venezia it ische li ildhaucr, pp. 177 - 2(J6. Th i s is prnbab I y th e master men t ion ed in ihe documents by the name of Zuan Zorvi Lascaris, who may have been of Greek origin. 83 them.;i Much more successful was the reconstruction of the sculptural work of Giovanni Buora, who has thus become one of the best-known members of Lombardo's circlc." In the light of this excursion into the creative world of Loin barrio's circle our reliefs are now more easily assessed, Their i|ualiiy, of course, does not match that of the best work sculpted by Lombardo himself (Sr Paul and St Jerome in the church of S. Stefano, for example). On the other hand, it is high enough to exclude any attribution outside Lombardo's immediate circle, or even outside Venice.1" Any connection with his sons Tullio and Antonio should also be excluded, since the sculptures lack any classicist elements. They show more similarity to works by Buora with which direct comparisons have already been made here, but Buora displays certain "morellian" elements (in the hands and the modelling of faces) absent in our figures. The drapery on his full-length figures (e.g. the apostles in Monlebelluna1') is also different: although younger than Fietro Lombardo, Buora did not lean towards classicism like Tullio and Antonio, but used a softer system of drapery than Pietro Lombardo. Comparison has shown that our figures are close to Pictro's style, particularly the works created between 1470 and 1490, The author remains anonymous, although he certainly belonged to Pietro's immediate circle Perhaps his authorship will be discerned in some other sculptural work displaying elements which are peculiar to his style; his faces are composed of relatively soft forms, with none of the sharp contours typical of Pietro Lombardo. The stylistic character of the figures also provides a hasic indication of their date of origin. Given that I hey date from Pietro's mature period and that the reliefs arc irrcconcilahle with the style of Tullio and Antonio Lombardo or with that of Giovanni Buora, it can be assumed that they were made in the 1480s or 1490s, and certainly before 15(10- Stylistic retardation must be excluded in this instance, since it is obvious that ihe work is the product of Lombardo's immediate circle in Venice, The remains of the altarpiecc at St Peter's church arc not the only work by Lombardo's circle on the eastern coasl of lite Adriatic. Apart from the pilasters in Koper mentioned above and the chapel in Ihe Franciscan church in Piran, we must also mention the statue of Justice at the Regional Museum in Koper. Some years ago, Emilijan Cevc drew attention to the iombardesque (¡ualities of the sculpture while also pointing out it* markedly conservative features." This makes il more "* L. Plnniscig, Pietro Lombardo ed alcuni bassorilievi venc/.iaai del' 400, Uedab, X, 1929/30, pp. 461-481. w R. Munman, Giovanni Buora: The "Missing" Sculpture, Arte Veneta, XXX. 1976 ( Muiiman. Giovanni Buora), pp. 41 -61, Munman, The Sculpture; Schulz, Giovanni Buora. ,0 in Venice itself one can come upon works by Lombardo's inmiedi ate circle which do not compare withoiii reliefs inipialily. Sut h enamplcs are certain sculptures from Ihe former choir partition in the church of S. Stefano. Most of these statues have not heen professionally discussed in detail. Photographsofihem can be seen at ihe photothèque of the Kunsthisiorischcs Institut in Florence. " Munman, Giovanni Buorn, pp. 50-51. " E. Cevc, Srednjeveika plastika na Siovenskem, Ljubljana 1963, pp. 196-298. E. Cevc pm Ihe date of origin at around 1465-1470. 84 difficult to determine (he date □ F origin, since the possibility of retardation must also be considered in view of the fact that it is not the work of Lombardo's circle but of an imitator or even a local sculptor. The sculptural decoration of [he cathedral facade at Osor (Osscro) on the island of Cres (Cherso) has recently been attributed to Giovanni Buora. It must have been carried out immediately before 1498 when the church was consecrated, "The work was undoubtedly commissioned explicitly Tor Osor Cathedral, The group of the Annunciation in Pula (Pola), however, is simply an uncommissioned import. Its close link to Pietro Lombardo was established recently by Ivan Maiejčič," whose suggestion that it may have formed part of Barbarigo's tomb in the church of S. Maria della Caritit, dismantled in I 808. is especially interesting. If this suggestion is confirmed it will be necessary tu account of the newly-discovered documents which attest to the leading role of Giovanni Buora and Banolomeo d i Dontenico Dttca in the production of the tomb." Is the altar of St Peter" s church also merely an uncommissioned import? In this country, art of high quality rarely ends up in a modest succursal church unless by accident. In this case, however, it is quite probable that the altar was once the main altar of the church. The p&troncinium accords with the iconography of the altarpiece, with St Peter's image in the middle. Moreover, the historical sources, albeit scant, indicate that the village of Sveti Peter nad Dragonjo was once important. It is true that in Valicro's Visitatid of 1579 the church was barely mentioned,* but NaUUm' s Curografia of 1700 is more exhaustive in its account of the village as a fortified settlement, Naidini also mentions the church and three ¡iltars, but does not give a detailed description." There is another interesting but unverified piece of information in the existing literature: in the vicinity of the village Lhere was a castle called Čuklja (Zuccole), which was owned by the well-known Verger i o family from Koper/" In 1546 Pier Paolo Vergerio, a well-known Protestant sympathiser, took refuge "in the castle.5® The Vergerii produced their " S. Štefanac, O arhitekturi i kiparskim o k rasi m a osorske katedrale. Priloži pov ¡jesti umjetnosti uDalmaciji, 26.1986/87, pp. 263-286; idem. I.e seulture di Giovanni Buora aOssero, VeneziaArii, 3, 1989, pp.41-45. II I, Matejiič, Ranorcnesansna grupa NavjeStcnja i* Pule, Peristit, XXX11(, 1990, pp. 5360; Tisuču godina hrvatske skuipture - One Thousand IVfirs of Croatian Sculpture, Muzejski prostor. Zagreb, l99J,p. 74(kat. 28, Re) [r.k.). " fi, Rucck. Zu Kun sta Lift rage n des Dugen Agostino Barharigo (1491-1501), Zeitsvhrift fur Kunstgeschkhte, 55/1.1992. pp 1-34. Banolomeo di Domenico Duea, who frequently Co-operated with Buora (cf. Sehul/., Giovanni Buora, pp. 69-72), represents a separate issue, However, there are no data on his work as an independent artist, which makes it difficult to identify the artist who may he the author of some ol the sculptures attributed to Buora. 11 A. LavriC, Vizitacijsko poročilo Agostina Valtera o koprski škofiji iz leta 1579 ¡striae visilatio appsloiica 79; Visilatio lustinopoiitana Aug us t in t Vale ni, Ljubljana 1986, p, 103. 11 P. Naidini, Caragrafiti ecclesiastica <> sia descrittione della citta. e della diocesi d i Gittstinopolldetto vo!g. Capod'lstrui, In Vene/ia 1700. p. 420. Krajevni leksikon Slavonije I: Zahodni de! Slovenije. Ljubljana 1968, p. 243. J A. Tom mas ich, Famiglie č apodi striane esis len i i nel secolo X V1, Let Provincla deti' t stria. XX, 1886. pp. 6 ss., 37-38, According to these data the cast le of Čuklja has stood on this site since the 13th century, For basic information on the Vtrgerii ef. Slovenski hut graf ski leksikon, 13, Ljubljana 1982, pp. 407^409. 85 first important scion at the beginning of liie 15th century. This was Pier Paolo the elder, who was closely connected with the famous humanists of his time,40 but unfortunately little is known about the generation between his death in 1444 and the birth of Pier Paoio the younger in 1498. It is nevertheless possible that the Vergerii arranged the import of the original altar. They may even have commissioned it, since the choice of saims corresponds lo names traditionally favoured by the family (the brother of Pier Paolo the younger was named John the Baptist). While there is no direct corroboration, it seems probable that the high-quality Venetian work came to the village church as a donation from this important family with humanist sympathies which owned important properly in the village and its environs. As early as 1483 Mann Sanudo wrote with great respect about Pier Paolo the elder: Itinera no di Man n Sanudo per la Terraferma Vtneziana neU'anno MCCCCLXXXIU, Padua 1847, p. 148, " The latest literature on Pier Paolo Vcrgerio confirms the hitherto unclarified kinship between Pier Paolo the elder and Pier Paolo the younger, and there is virtually no information on the generation between these two members of the Vergerii. Cf. one of the most recent and exhaustive .studies by A. Jacobson Schutie: i'icr Paolo Vergcrio e la rifottna a Venezia 1498-1549, Roma 1988, p. 29. 8fi