The Pavement Masters of Siena (1369-1562)Cust, Robert H. Hobart (Robert Henry Hobart)
History
The Pavement Masters of Siena (1369-1562)
Cust, Robert H. Hobart (Robert Henry Hobart)
Art -- Italy -- Siena; Duomo di Siena; Pavements, Mosaic
PANIBVS SOLVM QVINQVE
ET PISCIBVS DVOBVS HO
MINVM MILLIA IN FOENO
QVINQVE SATIABIT RELI
QVIAS TOLLENS XII
COPHINOS IMPLEBIT
IN SPEM MVLTORVM.
(With five loaves and two fishes He will satisfy the hunger of five
thousand men on the grass. Taking up the remains, he will fill
twelve baskets, for the hope of many.)
Beneath her feet, a label informs us that it is Nicanor who bears
record of her. Urbano di Pietro da Cortona, Antonio Federighi, Vito
da Marco and Luigi Ruggiero (_l’Armellino_) received commissions to
execute these Sibyls on September 20th, 1481;[49] but Urbano does
not appear to have received his payment of 605 lire 12 soldi for the
execution of this one, until October, 1483.[50] The sum paid to restore
his work was 3,153 lire 84 c.
5. THE NORTH AISLE.
_The Albunean Sibyl._
This prophetess, as we gather from the label placed beneath her feet,
was also styled the _Tiburtine_ Sibyl, because she was “_honoured as
Divine at Tibur_.” From a Christian point of view she is perhaps the
best known of all the Sibyls, and the representations of her in art,
still extant, are many and very varied in conception.[51] The Emperor
Augustus is said to have visited her, and, as a result of her prophecy,
erected the altar inscribed “ARA PRIMOGENITI DEI,” now inclosed in the
Cappella Santa (or di S. Elena) of the Church of Sta. Maria Aracoeli in
Rome.
She is here represented as a tall and youngish woman, with a curious
pointed head-dress. In her right hand she carries an open book; while
above her left shoulder, and attached by a ribbon to the neck of a
small cherub, is a tablet on which are the words:
NASCETVR CHRISTVS
IN BETHLEHEM ANNVN
CIABITVR IN NAZARETH
REGNANTE TAVRO PACI
FICO FUNDATORE QVIE
TIS. O FELIX MATER CV
IVSVBERA ILLVM LACTA
BVNT
(Christ shall be born in Bethlehem. He shall be announced in
Nazareth, the peaceful Taurus (the Bull) being in the ascendant,
the founder of peace. Oh Happy Mother whose breast shall give him
milk.)
This Sibyl was designed by Benvenuto di Giovanni del Guasta in
1483,[52] and is a fine specimen of his work; but it is not known
definitely who executed this, or indeed any of the four remaining
Sibyls. We read, however, that Giuliano di Biagio was in this year paid
41 lire 15 soldi for the carriage of 9,310 lbs. of marble for this
work,[53] so presumably he and his assistants executed some if not all
of them. 2,149 lire 35 c. were paid for the restoration of this Sibyl
in 1866–69.
_The Samian Sibyl._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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