PISANO, Nicola
(active 1258-1278)

Pulpit relief: Adoration of the Magi

1260
Marble, 85 x 113 cm
Baptistery, Pisa

The panels of the pulpit give a continuous narrative with the Annunciation, Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds; the Adoration of the Magi depicted as the Three Ages of Man; the Presentation in the Temple; the Crucifixion; and the Last Judgment. Traces of pigment suggest that paint once increased the polychromy of the coloured marble, while the addition of black paste to some drill holes intensified the light and dark contrast of the carving.