CAVALLINI, Pietro

The detail represents the head of the angel.

The detail represents the head of the Virgin.

The second scene of the Mary cycle, the Annunciation, is in the curve of the apse. This scene is especially notable for the vitality of its angel. He enters in haste, negotiating the irregularities in the terrain with a long stride and extending one hand in front of him. Mary shrinks back a bit, but maintains eye contact. One of Cavallini’s innovations is the three-dimensionality of the architectural elements, which lends Mary’s throne an uncommon monumentality.

The Annunciation with its architectural elements and plasticity is a good example of the stylistic changes gradually taking place in the last decades of the 13th century.

The third scene of the Mary cycle, the Nativity of Christ, is in the apse. This scene is dominated by the cave that shelters the child in his crib and Mary seated beside him. This scene has precedents in Byzantine art following Byzantine iconography but rendering it in traditional Roman form showing a direct influence of the late antique art.

The fourth scene of the Mary cycle, the Adoration of the Kings, is in the apse. In this scene the action is taking place in the foreground, but there is also a view on the left of a mountain in the distance crowned by the city of Jerusalem and a suggestion of the road the kings have traveled. In the inclusion of this scenery one sees the beginnings of a new sense of picture space.

The fifth scene of the Mary cycle, the Presentation in the Temple, is in the apse. In this scene the architectural backdrops define the field of action for the figures and contribute materially to the structuring of the picture space. An altar together with its baldachin, stands between Mary and the aged Simeon, who cradles the Christ child in his arms. Similarly, architectural elements fill the intervals between the protagonists and the secondary figures, Joseph and the prophetess Anna. Typical of Cavallini’s picture architecture is the change in perspective, especially the combination of views from above and below in one and the same structure.

The mosaics in the apse calotte and on the apsidal arch at Santa Maria in Trastevere commissioned by Pope Innocent II in around 1140 were supplemented toward the end of the thirteenth century by seven more mosaics, six of them narrating the life of the Virgin. An additional mosaic picture was added to the life of the Virgin which portrays a layman, recommended by St Peter as intercessor, adoring the Virgin and Child. A label identifies him as Bertoldo, son of Peter, and the coat of arms placed close to the inscription indicates that he was a member of the Roman Stefaneschi family.

Mary and the child are clearly set apart from the other figures as a heavenly vision within a round aureole. Both turn toward Bertoldo, the donor, and the Christ child’s gesture of blessing indicates that his prayer has been heard. St Paul, who stands at the left edge with a book and a sword as attributes, is included as a witness.

The Mary cycle begins on the apsidal arch left of the apse with the Nativity of the Virgin. In an elegant interior, St Anne, Mary’s mother is half sitting up on a bed. Two maids in the centre of the picture offer her food and drink, while in the foreground two others are washing the newborn child. The figure of maid holding a pitcher and watching attentively was borrowed from a fresco in the upper church of San Francesco in Assisi.

In this scene the background appears like a simple stage set based on ancient Roman domestic architecture and shrines, while its inlaid ornament derives from Roman medieval sources.

The sequence of Mary scenes concludes with the Dormition on the apsidal arch right to the apse. Numerous figures are here compressed onto a narrow stage so tightly that they cannot all find room in the picture space, but are cut off by its edges. The central focus of the picture is the figure of Christ standing behind the deathbed, surrounded by a dark red mandorla and accompanied by two angels. With draped hands he has taken up Mary’s soul.

The Roman school of the second half of the thirteenth century was also crucial to the development of Giotto’s work and Italian painting in general. Critical recognition of this has come late but is growing steadily. Pietro Cavallini is the outstanding artist of his school, especially with regard to his innovative use of colour and light. In Rome he painted frescoes (the most important of which is the Last Judgment in S. Cecilia in Trastevere) and designed mosaics (Life of the Virgin in S. Maria in Trastevere, dating from 1291). The painter also worked for some time at the court in Naples where we still have his frescoes in the cathedral as well as in S. Maria Donna Regina and S. Domenico. Opinion still differs on whether he worked on the Franciscan basilica in Assisi and the Sancta Sanctorum in Rome (the Chapel of St Lawrence in the Lateran Palace).

The central focus of the Dormition is the figure of Christ standing behind the deathbed, surrounded by a dark red mandorla and accompanied by two angels. With draped hands he has taken up Mary’s soul.

Not until 1900, during restoration work in the church, did large sections of the old fresco decoration come to light again. The middle register of a depiction of the Last Judgment on the west wall of the basilica, fragments of the fresco of the Annunciation on the north wall, and two scenes from the story of Jacob on the south wall were uncovered. It is assumed that there were cycles of the Old and New Testament, respectively, on facing walls of the nave.

The fragment of Esau Appears to Isaac is on the south wall of the nave. It is probable that Cavallini was influenced by the Isaac frescoes in the Upper Church of San Francesco in Assisi. The posture of Isaac in bed; drawing back as he recognizes the deceit, raising his left hand in horror, the architecture of the bed-chamber - all correspond closely to motifs found in the Assisi fresco, though the artistic realization is clearly of lesser quality.

A number of churches were erected in Rome in the twelfth century, the largest and most important of them being the Santa Maria in Trastevere which replaced an Early Christian basilica from the fourth century. In its architectural design the present church is indebted to the great Early Christian basilicas of Rome, especially the old St. Peter’s. This is apparent even in the fact that the side aisles in the nave are separated from the centre aisle by colonnades, instead of columned arcades as was costumary in the time. Other borrowings from Early Christian church architecture are the open transept, the triumphal arch connecting the transept and the nave, and the mosaic decoration in the apse and on the apsidal arch.

The builder of the church was pope Innocent II (1130-1143). Although the construction was completed only after the death of Innocent II in around 1148, the mosaics in the apse calotte and on the upper part of the apsidal arch were completed during his lifetime.

The mosaics in the apse calotte and on the apsidal arch commissioned by Pope Innocent II in around 1140 were supplemented toward the end of the thirteenth century by seven more mosaics, six of them narrating the life of the Virgin. Pietro Cavallini is documented as the creator of these mosaics in the apse.

Not until 1900, during restoration work in the church, did large sections of the old fresco decoration come to light again. The middle register of a depiction of the Last Judgment on the west wall of the basilica, fragments of the fresco of the Annunciation on the north wall, and two scenes from the story of Jacob on the south wall were uncovered. It is assumed that there were cycles of the Old and New Testament, respectively, on facing walls of the nave.

The fragment of Jacob’s Dream is on the south wall of the nave.

To Christ’s right the Virgin stands on a rectangular wooden pedestal; she is dressed in a blue garment under a violet cloak and is turned toward Christ in prayer. Corresponding to her on the other side is John the Baptist, who is wearing a a violet garment under a brown, fur-lined cloak. Behind the Virgin and John are the apostles, each sitting ion a wooden throne; they can be recognized by the names inscribed on the footrests of their thrones and by their attributes.

Cavallini’s illumination still does not originate from one identifiable source, but it plays richly on the drapery of the seated apostles and the faces.

To Christ’s right the Virgin stands on a rectangular wooden pedestal; she is dressed in a blue garment under a violet cloak and is turned toward Christ in prayer. Corresponding to her on the other side is John the Baptist, who is wearing a a violet garment under a brown, fur-lined cloak. Behind the Virgin and John are the apostles, each sitting ion a wooden throne; they can be recognized by the names inscribed on the footrests of their thrones and by their attributes.

Despite being damaged, this image of Christ sitting in judgment surrounded by the angelic hosts reveals Pietro Cavallini’s sense of monumental power. The measured frontal view comes from the Byzantine tradition while the warm tones of the colours and the play of the light are definitely new.

Of the paintings in Santa Cecilia, the most important is the fragment of the Last Judgment that extends the entire width of the west wall. It depicts Christ in judgment in the centre, seated on a wooden throne that is decorated with pearls and precious stones and was at one time partially gilded. He is surrounded by a red mandorla. The enthroned Christ is facing the viewer, but he is looking to the side. His right hand is extended toward the blessed; the left hand, which has not survived, would have been raised and presumably outstretched toward the damned in a dismissive gesture. The wounds on his feet, hands, and chest are displayed.

Despite being damaged, this image of Christ sitting in judgment surrounded by the angelic hosts reveals Pietro Cavallini’s sense of monumental power. The measured frontal view comes from the Byzantine tradition while the warm tones of the colours and the play of the light are definitely new.

The enthroned Christ is facing the viewer, but he is looking to the side. Despite being damaged, this image of Christ sitting in judgment surrounded by the angelic hosts reveals Pietro Cavallini’s sense of monumental power. The measured frontal view comes from the Byzantine tradition while the warm tones of the colours and the play of the light are definitely new.

Angels, whose bright, colourful feathers stand out against the dark blue ground of the fresco, frame the mandorla. To Christ’s right the Virgin stands on a rectangular wooden pedestal; she is dressed in a blue garment under a violet cloak and is turned toward Christ in prayer. Corresponding to her on the other side is John the Baptist, who is wearing a a violet garment under a brown, fur-lined cloak.

Angels, whose bright, colourful feathers stand out against the dark blue ground of the fresco, frame the mandorla. To Christ’s right the Virgin stands on a rectangular wooden pedestal; she is dressed in a blue garment under a violet cloak and is turned toward Christ in prayer. Corresponding to her on the other side is John the Baptist, who is wearing a a violet garment under a brown, fur-lined cloak.

Behind the Virgin and John are the apostles, each sitting ion a wooden throne; they can be recognized by the names inscribed on the footrests of their thrones and by their attributes.

The primary means of conveying expression, in addition to the faces, are the hands, which point or hold the relevant attributes.

Behind the Virgin and John are the apostles, each sitting ion a wooden throne; they can be recognized by the names inscribed on the footrests of their thrones and by their attributes.

Behind the Virgin and John are the apostles, each sitting ion a wooden throne; they can be recognized by the names inscribed on the footrests of their thrones and by their attributes.

Behind the Virgin and John are the apostles, each sitting ion a wooden throne; they can be recognized by the names inscribed on the footrests of their thrones and by their attributes.

Behind the Virgin and John are the apostles, each sitting ion a wooden throne; they can be recognized by the names inscribed on the footrests of their thrones and by their attributes.

Behind the Virgin and John are the apostles, each sitting ion a wooden throne; they can be recognized by the names inscribed on the footrests of their thrones and by their attributes.

Cavallini worked together with the sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio on the decoration of the Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. The influence of sculptures on the Last Judgment, the masterpiece of Cavallini, can be observed in the modelling of the faces and hands, in the draperies and in the solidity of the whole comoposition. The condition of the fresco is rather precarious due to the humidity and the atmospheric variations.

Cavallini expended particular care on the modeling of the faces and hair; despite all the variations in detail, there is a specific typology in the physiognomies and hairstyles. In some of the heads the wrinkles on the foreheads and in the corners of the eyes are distinctly marked; the mouths are sometimes slightly open; the eyes are mobile; and the ears are frequently exposed.

A columnar roundness makes the anatomical structure of the neck palpable in a manner not found in art since ancient times. Although the locks of hair are still somewhat patterned, the beards are naturalistic in texture.

The wings of the angel are the symbol for the celerity and ease with which this beings move about in heaven and on earth. The wings never ceased to pose a challenge to artists of all periods and cultures. They tested their ingenuity and fired their imagination in their quest to invent new and original ways of representing them. Particularly striking examples of the original ways in which angels’ wings were interpreted by Christian artists are those found around the year 1300 in the works of Cavallini or Giotto and his workshop; only in contour can they be distinguished as birds’ wings. The wings are depicted with an enormously impressive, intense, and above all dazzling polychromy; they are built up gradually from tiny strips of colour of the same hue, which are arranged like overlapping scales and graduated in tone from dark to light, until finally culminate in the plenitude of light of a dazzling white or yellow. Since the wings in these cases have lost of any kind of anatomical structure, they are not supported by any organic part of the angels’ bodies. Only by divine light are the angels sustained.

The picture shows the middle register of the fragmentary Last Judgment.

The fresco decoration of the interior fa�ade and the walls of the nave in Santa Cecilia in Trastevere was executed c. 1300 by Pietro Cavallini. The frescoes of the nave were largely destroyed when Cardinal Francesco Acquaviva had the interior redesigned in 1724-25. Not until 1900, during restoration work in the church, did large sections of the old fresco decoration come to light again. The middle register of a depiction of the Last Judgment on the west wall of the basilica, fragments of the fresco of the Annunciation on the north wall, and two scenes from the story of Jacob on the south wall were uncovered.

Of the paintings in Santa Cecilia, the most important is the fragment of the Last Judgment that extends the entire width of the west wall. It depicts Christ in judgment in the centre, seated on a wooden throne that is decorated with pearls and precious stones and was at one time partially gilded. He is surrounded by a red mandorla. The enthroned Christ is facing the viewer, but he is looking to the side. His right hand is extended toward the blessed; the left hand, which has not survived, would have been raised and presumably outstretched toward the damned in a dismissive gesture. The wounds on his feet, hands, and chest are displayed.

Angels, whose bright, colourful feathers stand out against the dark blue ground of the fresco, frame the mandorla. To Christ’s right the Virgin stands on a rectangular wooden pedestal; she is dressed in a blue garment under a violet cloak and is turned toward Christ in prayer. Corresponding to her on the other side is John the Baptist, who is wearing a a violet garment under a brown, fur-lined cloak. Behind the Virgin and John are the apostles, each sitting ion a wooden throne; they can be recognized by the names inscribed on the footrests of their thrones and by their attributes.

This fragment shows the blessed in the lower register of the Last Judgment.

The detail represents a shepherd playing flute in the foreground at bottom.

The detail shows St Anne with a maid holding a pitcher and watching attentively. The figure of the maid was borrowed from a fresco in the upper church of San Francesco in Assisi.

The detail represents a the aged Simeon, who cradles the Christ child in his arms and is wholly absorbed in admiration of him.

Mary and the child are clearly set apart from the other figures as a heavenly vision within a round aureole. Both turn toward the of the deceased, and the Christ child’s gesture of blessing indicates that his prayer has been heard.

This apse fresco in San Giorgio in Velabro, Rome was painted around 1300 under the commission from Cardinal Jacopo degli Stefaneschi. It is one of the last examples of the Roman pictorial tradition that for centuries had drawn upon its own early Christian sources.