Altar of Liberty
by GIAMBOLOGNA, Marble
In the 1560s and 1570s Giambologna regarded his activities as belonging to the domain of architecture. In 1577, he was commissioned for the construction of a large marble altar in the Cathedral of Lucca to commemorate Lucca’s 1369 victory over Pisa. The final work was completed in 1579.
Giambologna employed a monumental architectural framework, its tripartite scheme evoking the form of a triumphal arch, though a sepulchral quality also pervades the whole composition. Christ stands in the narrow, shallow niche in the centre. The two flanking figures are in more conventional niches. It seems that Christ, rather than emerging from a sarcophagus, has stepped forward from a tomb chamber.
The patrons referred to the composition from the beginning as the Altar of Liberty: Christ, liberated from mortality, becomes a liberator for all.