Once located in the rich chapel dedicated to Pistoia's
patron saint, the altar, after the various and unlucky events that
have befallen it, is today housed in the Chapel of the Crucifix
that opens onto the right nave of the Cathedral (
vs32).It
is one of the greatest masterpieces of medieval religious silverwork
and was built in several phases between the second half of the 1
200s and the first half of the i 400s. Executed in embossed silver
plate the work is made up of three altar fronts and a panel arranged
above the altar. The central front is composed of fifteen small
rectangular panels set into decorated squares with ornamental borders.
A cornice runs along the perimeter and at the base is written the
date and name of the artist of the panels: 131 6 Andrea di Jacopo
di Ognabene da Pistoia. The scenes represented are taken from the
Gospels with three panels to the lower right with scenes of San
Jacopo. The left side of the altar is completely dedicated to Stories
of the Saintand in the lower part of the cornice there is an enamel
plaque with the name and date of the silversmith: 1371 Leonardo
di ser Giovanni da Firenze. The scenes on the right side of the
altar are taken from the Old Testament and, although the artists'
names are not recorded here, they are certainly the work of the
Florentines Francesco di Niccolò and Leonardo di ser Giovanni.
Magnificent for the panels' masterly embossment as well as for its
many precious stones and refined enamel elements, the altar is proof
of the high artistic level reached by Tuscan gold and silversmiths
who showed themselves to be completely aware of the most important
decorative works of the time. Andrea d' Ognabene took after Giovanni
Pisano (
vs26)and Leonardo
di ser Giovanni after the school of Orcagna which has left great
works of art in Pistoia (
vs41/44).The
great altarpiece is formed by three strips one over the other: at
the bottom, Christ in Pietà and figures of Saints and Apostles;
in the middle, Saint Jacopo Enthroned, the Apostles, Saint Eulalia,
the Bishop Atto, Saint John the Baptist and Mary Salomè; at the
top, Christ in Majesty between Choirs of Angels, Saints Anthony
Abbot and Stephen. The silversmiths Nofri di Buto and Atto Braccini
created the cusp following the design by the Pistoian painter Giovanni
di Bartolomeo Cristiani. In 1399 the sides of the altarpiece were
completed by Domenico da Imola and Pippo da Firenze. The latter
was actually the famous architect Filippo Brunelleschi who left
his first documented work in Pistoia: the two prophets on the left
side of the altarpiece.
The altar developed over one hundred years, involving artists of
great fame, and the entire Pistoian community found a sense of identity
in this project as can be seen from the many works that were carried
out for its embellishment. The silver statue of San Jacopo is a
case in point: the sculptor. Gilio Pisano was commissioned to do
the work in thanksgiving for the end of the great pestilence of
1 348. For many centuries the altar was situated inside the Chapel
of San Jaco (
vi); but in the 1700s the chapel was dismantled
by order of Bishop Scipione de' Ricci (
vs20)
and the altar was set up at the head of the cathedral's south nave.
At the end of the Second World War, after important restoration,
it was placed in the chapel where visitors admire it today.
The Worship of San Jacopo in Pistoia
In spite of the fact that there is an ancient church in Pistoia
consecrated to San Jacopo, worship of the Saint can be traced back
to a precise moment in the city's history. In the mid twelfth century
the Bishop Atto had a precious relic of the Saint brought to Pistoia
from the sanctuary of Saint John of Compostela. The relic was welcomed
with an official ceremony by city leaders and right away the Bishop
consecrated a chapel for it, located in the first two spans of the
cathedral's right nave. Cared for by the Opera di San Jacopo, it
soon became one of the major destinations of pilgrimage in Central
Italy, thus aiding the economic growth of Pistoia, a city which
had always venerated the Saint. Even today the city celebrates its
patron saint on his feast day (July 25), a moment of celebration
(
vs3) and of thanksgiving.
