MEDIEVAL SCULPTOR, Italian
(active around 1100 in Bari)

Throne of Elia

c. 1100
Marble
San Nicola, Bari

Apulia produced a wealth of art from the eleventh century onwards, and apart from architecture, the main objects were sacred pieces of equipment. The throne of Bishop Elia in San Nicola in Bari is of exceptionally high quality, and its seat is supported by three entirely three-dimensional atlantes. The main weight is carried by the two figures on either side, the central figure playing a minor role.

The throne of Elia has often been considered as illustrating the renewal of monumental sculpture in southern Italy around 1100.