TINO DI CAMAINO

This is one of two angels in the V&A collection which once formed part of a tomb monument. They would have stood at the sides as though pulling back curtains to reveal the effigy. The sculptor, Tino di Camaino, collaborated with Giovanni Pisano as a young man and then went on to produce important tombs in central Italy and Naples.

This and a companion figure originally formed part of a tomb monument similar in type to the slightly earlier tomb of Cardinal de Braye by Arnolfo di Cambio in San Domenico, Orvieto. It was once thought that they had been attached to the monument of Antonio d’Orso, Bishop of Florence (d. 1321) in the Florence Cathedral; however, this now seems unlikely and it is probable that they belonged to another, now dismantled tomb of about the same date.

A caryatid from the same tomb is in the Fondazione Salvatore Romano, Florence.

This is one of two angels in the V&A collection which once formed part of a tomb monument. They would have stood at the sides as though pulling back curtains to reveal the effigy. The sculptor, Tino di Camaino, collaborated with Giovanni Pisano as a young man and then went on to produce important tombs in central Italy and Naples.

This and a companion figure originally formed part of a tomb monument similar in type to the slightly earlier tomb of Cardinal de Braye by Arnolfo di Cambio in San Domenico, Orvieto. It was once thought that they had been attached to the monument of Antonio d’Orso, Bishop of Florence (d. 1321) in the Florence Cathedral; however, this now seems unlikely and it is probable that they belonged to another, now dismantled tomb of about the same date.

A caryatid from the same tomb is in the Fondazione Salvatore Romano, Florence.

This statue comes from the Palazzo Bargagli-Petrucci (Palazzo Tempi) in Florence. It is one of the surviving parts of a tomb made by Tino di Camaino. A pair of angels holding a curtain from the same tomb is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The photo shows the Anjou tombs on the back wall of the presbytery in Santa Chiara. In the centre, behind the high altar is the monument to Robert of Anjou, King of Sicily, made by Giovanni and Pacio da Firenze. At left is is the monument to Mary of Durazzo by a follower of Giovanni and Pacio. At right is the tomb of Charles, Duke of Calabria by Tino di Camaino. The tomb of Mary of Valois by Tino, not shown on the photo, is located on the right wall of the presbytery.

The Capetian House of Anjou was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct French House of Capet, part of the Capetian dynasty. Founded by Charles I of Anjou, the youngest son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century. Later the War of the Sicilian Vespers forced him out of the island of Sicily, leaving him with the southern half of the Italian Peninsula - the Kingdom of Naples.

This statue comes from the Palazzo Bargagli-Petrucci (Palazzo Tempi) in Florence. It is one of the surviving parts of a tomb made by Tino di Camaino. A pair of angels holding a curtain from the same tomb is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

After the completion of Bishop Antonio degli Orsi’s tomb Tino executed a number of closely related sculptures such as the statue of Charity of unknown provenance in the Museo Bardini.

This heroic figure, an earth-mother type, is one of the first portrayals of Charity nursing. Shallowly carved in a plane and with an unfinished back, it was probably meant for a niche. Her casual posture has never been properly ascertained, and it is usually stated that she is sitting.

After the completion of Bishop Antonio degli Orsi’s tomb Tino executed a number of closely related sculptures such as the statue of Charity of unknown provenance in the Museo Bardini.

This heroic figure, an earth-mother type, is one of the first portrayals of Charity nursing. Shallowly carved in a plane and with an unfinished back, it was probably meant for a niche. Her casual posture has never been properly ascertained, and it is usually stated that she is sitting.

In 1321-23, Tino carved three life-size statues for each of the three portals of the Baptistery in Florence, a few fragments of which survive in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Florence.

Around 1321-23, Tino di Camaino carved three groups to be placed above the east, south and north doors of the Baptistery in Florence. Three centuries later these sculptures were substituted with other groups representing the same subjects. This fragment is a surviving piece from the group which was originally above the north door.

In 1321-23, Tino carved three life-size statues for each of the three portals of the Baptistery in Florence, a few fragments of which survive in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Florence.

With the departure of the papal court to Avignon, Rome ceased to be an important centre of art patronage. Its place was to some extent filled by Naples under the rule of Robert the Wise (1309-43). A number of eminent artists worked at his court and of this court art a considerable number of royal tombs survived, though not very much else. The sculptor whose style had the greatest influence in Naples was the Sienese Tino di Camaino.

Trained in Pisa, Tino worked in Siena and Florence before moving in about 1323 to the Angevin court. There he remained until his death. He was an extremely accomplished decorator, and his work well represents one Italian version of the generalized mid-Gothic style of fourteenth-century Europe. It is unusually graceful for Italy, but its origins are almost always proclaimed by the full, rather heavy female faces, which are totally unlike the dainty Parisian convention and are probably an aftermath of the Roman matrons carved on Nicola Pisano’s Pisa Baptistery pulpit.

Tino probably returned to Florence in October 1320 in order to erect the tomb of Bishop Antonio d’Orso on the interior west wall of the new cathedral (the Bishop was buried in the tomb on 18 July 1321). Much of the tomb, which is signed, is preserved in situ and comprises a base supported on consoles, a sarcophagus above borne by lions, and the seated figure of the deceased on top of the sarcophagus. The dead Bishop may originally have been seated on a throne under a small canopy, which would have provided the setting for a monumental representation of the upward journey of his soul (flanking angels in private collection; central portion untraced); this structure would have been surrounded by a baldacchino to tie the ensemble together.

The poet Francesco da Barberino, executor of the Bishop’s will, had an influence on the design and programme of the tomb, the themes of which were death and both personal and universal judgement. The reliefs in the spandrels of the supports represent the Triumph of Death, and the sarcophagus relief depicts personal judgement, which takes place at the moment of death: the dead man, kneeling, is commended by the Virgin to Christ, beside whom stands St John the Baptist; on either side of this central group are angels and saints. The unique motif of the deceased sitting under a baldacchino awaiting Resurrection and the relief of the soul borne by angels must refer to the separation of body and soul after death. The gable of the larger baldacchino would have alluded to the Last Judgement.

In the d’Orso tomb reliefs Tino succeeded in recapturing that sense of solidity of form that had been lost in his attempts to represent space in the reliefs of the della Torre monument.

Tino probably returned to Florence in October 1320 in order to erect the tomb of Bishop Antonio d’Orso on the interior west wall of the new cathedral (the Bishop was buried in the tomb on 18 July 1321). Much of the tomb, which is signed, is preserved in situ and comprises a base supported on consoles, a sarcophagus above borne by lions, and the seated figure of the deceased on top of the sarcophagus. The dead Bishop may originally have been seated on a throne under a small canopy, which would have provided the setting for a monumental representation of the upward journey of his soul (flanking angels in private collection; central portion untraced); this structure would have been surrounded by a baldacchino to tie the ensemble together.

The sarcophagus relief depicts personal judgement, which takes place at the moment of death: the dead man, kneeling, is commended by the Virgin to Christ, beside whom stands St John the Baptist; on either side of this central group are angels and saints.

The seemingly original motif of the dead, seated figure of the bishop, the head developed and refined through the experience gained in the previous effigies to which it is so closely related, is perhaps the most powerful and moving achievement in Tino’s whole career.

The picture shows the relief on the front of the sarcophagus. It depicts personal judgement, which takes place at the moment of death: the dead man, kneeling, is commended by the Virgin to Christ, beside whom stands St John the Baptist; on either side of this central group are angels and saints.

The poet Francesco da Barberino, executor of the Bishop’s will, had an influence on the design and programme of the tomb, the themes of which were death and both personal and universal judgement. The reliefs in the spandrels of the supports represent the Triumph of Death, and the sarcophagus relief depicts personal judgement, which takes place at the moment of death.

The poet Francesco da Barberino, executor of the Bishop’s will, had an influence on the design and programme of the tomb, the themes of which were death and both personal and universal judgement. The reliefs in the spandrels of the supports represent the Triumph of Death, and the sarcophagus relief depicts personal judgement, which takes place at the moment of death.

The poet Francesco da Barberino, executor of the Bishop’s will, had an influence on the design and programme of the tomb, the themes of which were death and both personal and universal judgement. The reliefs in the spandrels of the supports represent the Triumph of Death, and the sarcophagus relief depicts personal judgement, which takes place at the moment of death

In Siena Tino immediately received the important commission for the tomb of Cardinal Riccardo Petroni, who died in Genoa in 1314 and was buried in Siena Cathedral on 17 March 1317.

Standing on the tomb base, supported by massive consoles, are four figures carrying the sarcophagus, which is decorated with reliefs carved with the appearances of Christ after the Resurrection. Above the sarcophagus are two figures that hold open the curtains of a tent-like death chamber in which the effigy of the deceased lies on a bed. The death chamber is crowned by a tabernacle containing the Virgin and Child enthroned with Sts Peter and Paul. The use of a baldacchino to bind the various elements together was replaced by a looser arrangement in which the components of the tomb were more freely disposed, yet still formed a harmonious, rhythmic and well-proportioned composition.

The sculptures show a change in style compared to those on the tomb of Henry VII, the sarcophagus sculptures and the caryatid figures in particular indicating Tino’s mastery of the Sienese formal vocabulary, characterized by a soft yet vigorous modelling, a serene composure in pose and bearing and by the rhythmic flow of the draperies. This change is to be explained less by a direct study of Sienese sculpture than by the decisive influence of Simone Martini.

The monument Cardinal Petroni was created in the Siena Cathedral where Tino de Camaino was master builder from 1320, succeeding his father who appears to have been appointed in 1317. Cardinal Petroni died in Genoa in 1314 and was re-interred in Siena in March 1317.

The shape of the monument appears to follow the tradition already reflected in the tomb of Henry VII, executed by Tino di Camaino a few years earlier in Pisa. It is the series of reliefs on the sarcophagus which forms the high point of the layer-cake construction.

Tino di Camaino may have at least participated in the creation of the shrine of San Bartolo for Sant’Agostino in San Gimignano, but only a few fragments survive.

Tino di Camaino probably went to Naples towards the end of 1323 or early in 1324, although he is not documented there until May 1325. This change of residence had profound consequences for him, as can be seen in his earliest works there: the tombs of Catherine of Austria in San Lorenzo Maggiore and Mary of Hungary in Santa Maria Donnaregina, both of whom had died in the spring of 1323.

Despite the presence of Tuscan artists, with Simone Martini and Giotto at their head, the aesthetic atmosphere in Naples was more relaxed than that of Tuscany, and it seems to have been prejudicial to Tino’s art. The monuments he undertook in Naples are tabernacle tombs, free-standing or set against the wall, and all of them are marked by the subordination of the figure sculpture to an architectural scheme and by dependence on polychromy in the form of gilding on figures and Cosmatesque inlay in the ground.

The tomb of Catherine of Austria is free-standing, set between the piers of the choir arcade; the sarcophagus is carried by two piers with allegorical figures, and two saints stand at both head and foot of the recumbent effigy, the whole being covered by a large baldacchino.

Tino di Camaino probably went to Naples towards the end of 1323 or early in 1324, although he is not documented there until May 1325. This change of residence had profound consequences for him, as can be seen in his earliest works there: the tombs of Catherine of Austria in San Lorenzo Maggiore and Mary of Hungary in Santa Maria Donnaregina, both of whom had died in the spring of 1323.

Despite the presence of Tuscan artists, with Simone Martini and Giotto at their head, the aesthetic atmosphere in Naples was more relaxed than that of Tuscany, and it seems to have been prejudicial to Tino’s art. The monuments he undertook in Naples are tabernacle tombs, free-standing or set against the wall, and all of them are marked by the subordination of the figure sculpture to an architectural scheme and by dependence on polychromy in the form of gilding on figures and Cosmatesque inlay in the ground.

The tomb of Catherine of Austria is free-standing, set between the piers of the choir arcade; the sarcophagus is carried by two piers with allegorical figures, and two saints stand at both head and foot of the recumbent effigy, the whole being covered by a large baldacchino.

Tino di Camaino probably went to Naples towards the end of 1323 or early in 1324, although he is not documented there until May 1325. This change of residence had profound consequences for him, as can be seen in his earliest works there: the tombs of Catherine of Austria in San Lorenzo Maggiore and Mary of Hungary in Santa Maria Donnaregina, both of whom had died in the spring of 1323.

Despite the presence of Tuscan artists, with Simone Martini and Giotto at their head, the aesthetic atmosphere in Naples was more relaxed than that of Tuscany, and it seems to have been prejudicial to Tino’s art. The monuments he undertook in Naples are tabernacle tombs, free-standing or set against the wall, and all of them are marked by the subordination of the figure sculpture to an architectural scheme and by dependence on polychromy in the form of gilding on figures and Cosmatesque inlay in the ground.

The tomb of Catherine of Austria is free-standing, set between the piers of the choir arcade; the sarcophagus is carried by two piers with allegorical figures, and two saints stand at both head and foot of the recumbent effigy, the whole being covered by a large baldacchino.

The detail shows the support of the sarcophagus with the allegorical figure of Charity.

The monuments Tino undertook in Naples are marked by the subordination of the figure sculpture to an archtectural scheme and by dependence on polychromy in the form of gilding on figures and Cosmatesque inlay in the ground.

The monuments Tino undertook in Naples are marked by the subordination of the figure sculpture to an archtectural scheme and by dependence on polychromy in the form of gilding on figures and Cosmatesque inlay in the ground.

The tomb of Catherine of Austria includes some of the most beautiful sculpture Tino carried out in Naples. The beautiful group representing Charity, if it lacks the vitality of the Orso caryatids, reaches a high level of decorative accomplishment. Particularly beautiful is the device by which the entire support is carved with foliage, and the figures emerging from it are depicted in deep relief. This caryatid has no counterpart in Tino’s later works in Naples.

Simpler versions of the tomb of Mary of Hungary are to be seen in the monuments for Charles, Duke of Calabria (d 1328) and his second wife Mary of Valois (d 1331) in Santa Chiara, Naples. In the artistic environment of Naples, Tino di Camaino adopted the highly prized, polychrome decorative style of Roman Cosmati work and attempted to combine it with his own, Tuscan style.

On 12 February 1315 Tino, mentioned as Giovanni Pisano’s successor as Master of the Works of Pisa Cathedral, was commissioned to erect the tomb of the Emperor Henry VII (d 1313) in the choir of Pisa Cathedral. This work was largely completed by July 1315, when Tino suddenly left Pisa for Siena. The tomb was dismantled in 1494 and a smaller monument in the south transept was pieced together from fragments; the group of statues originally consisting of the Emperor enthroned between six advisers was placed in the Camposanto (now Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Pisa).

The picture shows the monument in the south transept of Pisa Cathedral. The fresco above the sarcophagus is by the school of Domenico Ghirlandaio.

On 12 February 1315 Tino, mentioned as Giovanni Pisano’s successor as Master of the Works of Pisa Cathedral, was commissioned to erect the tomb of the Emperor Henry VII (d 1313) in the choir of Pisa Cathedral. This work was largely completed by July 1315, when Tino suddenly left Pisa for Siena. The tomb was dismantled in 1494 and a smaller monument in the south transept was pieced together from fragments; the group of statues originally consisting of the Emperor enthroned between six advisers was placed in the Camposanto (now Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Pisa).

The picture shows the monument in the south transept of Pisa Cathedral.

Pisa Cathedral houses the fragmentary tomb of Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, who died at Buonconvento while holding Florence, in vain, under siege. The tomb, sculpted by Tino da Camaino between 1313-1315, was also dismantled then reconstructed and placed in the south transept, while its original position was in the centre of the apse as a sign of the city’s ghibbeline adherence. Moved several times for political reasons, it eventually was separated into many parts (some inside the church, some on the facade, others in the cathedral museum).

The picture shows the statue of the Emperor,

On 12 February 1315 Tino, mentioned as Giovanni Pisano’s successor as Master of the Works of Pisa Cathedral, was commissioned to erect the tomb of the Emperor Henry VII (d 1313) in the choir of Pisa Cathedral. This work was largely completed by July 1315, when Tino suddenly left Pisa for Siena. The tomb was dismantled in 1494 and a smaller monument in the south transept was pieced together from fragments; the group of statues originally consisting of the Emperor enthroned between six advisers was placed in the Camposanto (now Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Pisa).

According to one reconstruction the monument was fixed to the apse wall behind and high above the free-standing altar. The base, carrying the unadorned sarcophagus, was supported at the back by massive consoles, and its front corners were carried on spiral columns. At the front of this structure, in the centre, was the recumbent effigy of the Emperor in a low death chamber flanked by reliefs, each bearing three figures; four more figures were carved on the reliefs at either end, making a total of 14 figures representing the Apostles and Evangelists. Above was a majestic baldacchino sheltering the group of statues flanking the enthroned Emperor.

Even with the help of a workshop, this monument could not have been executed in the half year to July 1315, and it is therefore not surprising that the hand of a second master is discernible. Compared with the statue of the Emperor, those of the advisers are rougher and heavier in construction, the design of the draperies is less imaginative, and the faces are plumper and more solidly modelled. Although features characteristic of Tino can certainly be recognized, and the statues are often attributed to him, it seems more likely that they were carved by another master, possibly his successor as Master of the Cathedral Works, Lupo di Francesco.

Tino di Camaino was active in Florence from the autumn of 1318 to the end of 1319. In Santa Croce he erected the tomb of Gastone della Torre, Patriarch of Aquileia, who had died in Florence in 1318; this was dismantled in 1566 (fragments in Museo dell’Opera di Santa Croce, Florence; Bargello, Florence; Palazzo Vecchio, Florence; and Liebieghaus, Frankfurt am Main).

The decoration of the sarcophagus of the della Torre monument suggests that Tino had received instructions from the patron to model the tomb on that of Cardinal Petroni in Siena, although according to one reconstruction Tino made several significant modifications to this design. The death chamber over the sarcophagus resembled a shrine more than a tent, and the group of statues above, representing the presentation of the deceased by angels to the Virgin and Child, was framed not by a small tripartite tabernacle but by a large baldacchino that rested on the console platform, enclosing the ensemble.

Compared to the Petroni tomb, the della Torre monument was more architectonic in design, but although its sculptures are stylistically related to those in Siena, the reliefs show a change in conception. While the figures in the Sienese reliefs stand or recline on the lower border of the frame in front of a plain, flat background, here a floor formed of clods of earth gives the illusion of an independent space in front of the figures. This move to an illusionistic rather than a physical representation of space was accompanied, however, by a slight flatness and loss of solidity in the figures.

The detail shows the left corner of the tomb.

The detail shows the right corner of the tomb.

In the reliefs on the tomb, a floor formed of clods of earth gives the illusion of an independent space in front of the figures. This move to an illusionistic rather than a physical representation of space was accompanied, however, by a slight flatness and loss of solidity in the figures.

The picture shows the scene of Incredulity of St Thomas in the left part of the relief.

In the reliefs on the tomb, a floor formed of clods of earth gives the illusion of an independent space in front of the figures. This move to an illusionistic rather than a physical representation of space was accompanied, however, by a slight flatness and loss of solidity in the figures.

The picture shows the scene of Noli me tangere in the right part of the relief.

In the reliefs on the tomb, a floor formed of clods of earth gives the illusion of an independent space in front of the figures. This move to an illusionistic rather than a physical representation of space was accompanied, however, by a slight flatness and loss of solidity in the figures.

The picture shows the scene of Resurrection of Christ in the centre of the relief.

In the reliefs on the tomb, a floor formed of clods of earth gives the illusion of an independent space in front of the figures. This move to an illusionistic rather than a physical representation of space was accompanied, however, by a slight flatness and loss of solidity in the figures.

The picture shows the scene of St John the Baptist in the Desert on the left side of the tomb.

In the reliefs on the tomb, a floor formed of clods of earth gives the illusion of an independent space in front of the figures. This move to an illusionistic rather than a physical representation of space was accompanied, however, by a slight flatness and loss of solidity in the figures.

The picture shows the scene of The Three Marys at the Tomb on the right side of the tomb.

Tino di Camaino probably went to Naples towards the end of 1323 or early in 1324, although he is not documented there until May 1325. This change of residence had profound consequences for him, as can be seen in his earliest works there: the tombs of Catherine of Austria in San Lorenzo Maggiore and Mary of Hungary in Santa Maria Donnaregina, both of whom had died in the spring of 1323.

The tomb of Mary of Hungary, commissioned by her son, Robert I of Anjou, after her death on 25 March 1323, is in the left nave aisle. The elaborate Gothic monument is the work of Tino di Camaino and an unknown Neapolitan artist. Tino worked for the Angevin court between 1324 and his death in 1337; the tomb presumably dates from the mid-1320s.

In its structure and sculptural program, Mary’s tomb resembles Tino’s funerary monuments in Tuscany. Angels draw back curtains to reveal the gisant figure of the Queen, who is clad in the habit of a Poor Clare, or Franciscan nun, recalling her long-standing financial support of the convent and underscoring her efforts to emulate mendicant spirituality in general. The niche figures on the sarcophagus represent Mary’s sons Charles Martel, Louis of Toulouse and Robert himself.

The tomb is set against a wall; the sarcophagus is supported by caryatid figures beneath a death chamber with recumbent effigy, and the ensemble is crowned by the Virgin and Child and other figures under a monumental baldacchino, an arrangement that became the prototype for many subsequent tombs. Simpler versions of the tomb of Mary of Hungary are to be seen in the monuments for Charles, Duke of Calabria (d 1328) and his second wife Mary of Valois (d 1331) in Santa Chiara, Naples.

The tomb is set against a wall; the sarcophagus is supported by caryatid figures beneath a death chamber with recumbent effigy.

Extremely elaborate monuments are to be found at most centres throughout Italy in the first half of the 14th century. For the most part, the concentration is on the architectural whole rather than on the individual sculptures, which are not always of very high quality. They consist of a recumbent figure lying on the tomb chest, which may be variously carved with scenes, arms, saints or busts in panels, all set under a tall baldacchino following the principles of a shrine.

The most elaborate monuments are in Verona and Naples, where Tino di Camaino and his school reached a rather higher quality than was general.

The monument was damaged in 1940-45.

Simpler versions of the tomb of Mary of Hungary are to be seen in the monuments for Charles, Duke of Calabria (d 1328) and his second wife Mary of Valois (d 1331) in Santa Chiara, Naples. In the artistic environment of Naples, Tino di Camaino adopted the highly prized, polychrome decorative style of Roman Cosmati work and attempted to combine it with his own, Tuscan style.

The tomb of Mary of Valois was the last work of Tino di Camaino. This detail shows Hope, a supporting figure. The freely articulated grace in the supporting figures is unsurpassed in the art of the artist.

The tomb of Mary of Valois was the last work of Tino di Camaino. This detail shows the head of the recumbent effigy.

On this marble relief the Virgin is crowned and holds a pomegranate, the Child holds a chafinch. Like the relief in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, it was part of a very rare two-sided marble triptych, now separated and divided between various collections.

This statuette was created in the Neapolitan period of the artist.

During the Neapolitan period, and in particular in its final part, Tino executed a large number of small marble bas-relief works, possibly for royal destination, among these the present relief in Washington. It was part of a very rare two-sided marble triptych, now separated and divided between various collections.

Sancia of Majorca (c. 1281-1345) was Queen of Naples from 1309 until 1343 as the wife of Robert the Wise.