Pietà altar

Agostino di Duccio
carrara marble
1473-1474

Figurative sculpted bas-relief marble panels are the salient featue of the Altare della Pietà (Pietà altar) which used to stand on the left of the nave in Cattedrale di San Lorenzo. The altar is the work of the Florentine sculptor Agostino d’Antonio, known as Agostino di Duccio. The contract to fabricate the altar is dated 1473 and it was completed the following year.

The central panel depicts Gesù in pietà at the centre and those flanking it side show Maria on the left and San Giovanni on the right. At the top is a lunette with Gesù benedicente (Jesus blessing). The altar decoration is completed by a cymatium, festoons and small stone pillars. The work was commissioned by Niccolò Ranieri who bequeathed money for the piece to be completed in honour of the Ospedale Cittadino which was already providing active assistance to the ill, pilgrims and the destitute. The sculptor completed numerous works in the city including the façade of the Oratorio di San Bernardino, a gateway located in Corso Cavour, and sculptures ornamenting the facade of the Chiesa della Maestà delle Volte (the present-day Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria).