Giunta Pisano
Encyclopedia
Giunta Pisano was an Italian
painter. He is the earliest Italian painter whose name is found inscribed on an extant work. He is best known for his crucifixes.
He is said to have exercised his art from 1202 to 1236. He may perhaps have been born towards 1180 in Pisa, and died in or soon after 1250; but other accounts give 1202 as the date of his birth, and the more probable date of 1258 or thereabouts for his death. There is some ground for thinking that his family name was Capiteno or Capitino.
Giunta Pisano usually painted upon cloth stretched on wood, and prepared with plaster.
The inscribed work, referred above, is also one of his earliest. It is the Crocefisso di S. Raniero, a crucifix, that hung a long time in the kitchen of the convent of St Anne in Pisa
. Other Pisan works of about the same date (as the one in San Matteo in Pisa) are very barbarous, and, some of them may be also from the hand of Giunta Pisano before he had achieved his virtuosity (such as S. Benedetto Crucifixion).
It is said that he painted for the High Altar of the upper church of Assisi, a Crucifixion dated 1236, with a figure of Father Elias, the general of the Franciscans, embracing the foot of the cross. Now there only exists an 18th-century engraving based on a copy of this portrait
In the sacristy is a portrait of St Francis
, also ascribed to Giunta; but it more probably belongs to the close of the 13th century.
His masterpiece is the imposing Crucifix (1250) in the left transept of Basilica of Saint Dominic
in Bologna
, with the writing in Latin "Cuius docta manus me pixit Junta Pisanus" (painted by the hand of Giunta Pisano). It is still much influenced by the Byzantine style and represents one of the best examples of 13th-century Italian painting.
These crucifixes show that he initiated a new way of representing Christ, eventually substituiting once and for all the traditional Byzantine image of Jesus serene though crucified (Christus gloriosus) with a Christ dying in agony (Christus patiens). This representation of Christ, and especially the crucifix in Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, has much influenced Cimabue
, who would continue on this style and develop his own more emotional style (as seen in his Crucifix in Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence). Another thoroughly Giuntesque Crucifixion is the right wing of a diptych
from the Veneto
, found at the Chicago Art Institute.
A number of unknown Italian artists have been identified as members of Giunta's circle; among them are the Master of the Blue Crucifixes
and the Master of the Treasury
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
painter. He is the earliest Italian painter whose name is found inscribed on an extant work. He is best known for his crucifixes.
He is said to have exercised his art from 1202 to 1236. He may perhaps have been born towards 1180 in Pisa, and died in or soon after 1250; but other accounts give 1202 as the date of his birth, and the more probable date of 1258 or thereabouts for his death. There is some ground for thinking that his family name was Capiteno or Capitino.
Giunta Pisano usually painted upon cloth stretched on wood, and prepared with plaster.
The inscribed work, referred above, is also one of his earliest. It is the Crocefisso di S. Raniero, a crucifix, that hung a long time in the kitchen of the convent of St Anne in Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
. Other Pisan works of about the same date (as the one in San Matteo in Pisa) are very barbarous, and, some of them may be also from the hand of Giunta Pisano before he had achieved his virtuosity (such as S. Benedetto Crucifixion).
It is said that he painted for the High Altar of the upper church of Assisi, a Crucifixion dated 1236, with a figure of Father Elias, the general of the Franciscans, embracing the foot of the cross. Now there only exists an 18th-century engraving based on a copy of this portrait
In the sacristy is a portrait of St Francis
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
, also ascribed to Giunta; but it more probably belongs to the close of the 13th century.
His masterpiece is the imposing Crucifix (1250) in the left transept of Basilica of Saint Dominic
Basilica of San Domenico
The Basilica of San Domenico is one of the major churches in Bologna, Italy. The remains of Saint Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers , are buried inside the exquisite shrine Arca di San Domenico, made by Nicola Pisano and his workshop, Arnolfo di Cambio and with later additions by Niccolò...
in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, with the writing in Latin "Cuius docta manus me pixit Junta Pisanus" (painted by the hand of Giunta Pisano). It is still much influenced by the Byzantine style and represents one of the best examples of 13th-century Italian painting.
These crucifixes show that he initiated a new way of representing Christ, eventually substituiting once and for all the traditional Byzantine image of Jesus serene though crucified (Christus gloriosus) with a Christ dying in agony (Christus patiens). This representation of Christ, and especially the crucifix in Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, has much influenced Cimabue
Cimabue
Cimabue , also known as Bencivieni di Pepo or in modern Italian, Benvenuto di Giuseppe, was an Italian painter and creator of mosaics from Florence....
, who would continue on this style and develop his own more emotional style (as seen in his Crucifix in Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence). Another thoroughly Giuntesque Crucifixion is the right wing of a diptych
Diptych
A diptych di "two" + ptychē "fold") is any object with two flat plates attached at a hinge. Devices of this form were quite popular in the ancient world, wax tablets being coated with wax on inner faces, for recording notes and for measuring time and direction.In Late Antiquity, ivory diptychs with...
from the Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
, found at the Chicago Art Institute.
A number of unknown Italian artists have been identified as members of Giunta's circle; among them are the Master of the Blue Crucifixes
Master of the Blue Crucifixes
The Master of the Blue Crucifixes was an Italian artist active either in the region of Umbria or Emilia during the second third of the thirteenth century. He is associated with the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, and may have been an assistant of Giunta Pisano, whose work his paintings resemble...
and the Master of the Treasury
Master of the Treasury
The Master of the Treasury was an Italian painter working in the Byzantine style during the second third of the thirteenth century. A follower of Giunta Pisano, he is known from a painting in the treasury of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi representing the titular saint and four of his...
.