Nativity (fragment)

In later life Arnolfo di Cambio returned to Florence (1296) and embarked on the ambitious project for the fa�ade of the Duomo until his death. It is known from paintings, a drawing and descriptions, which show that Arnolfo’s fa�ade then rose only to the height of the tympanum of the central portal. The sculptures on it included episodes from the childhood of Christ and the life of Mary, a Virgin and Child, and statues of prophets and saints, including Pope Boniface VIII. The museums of Florence (Museo dell’Opera del Duomo) and Berlin (Bodemuseum) preserve two sculptures of the Virgin reclining that come respectively from the Nativity and the Dormition, and a seated Virgin holding the Child. The arrangement of the fa�ade introduces statues in niches, thus covering the walls of the lower parts.