Figure depicting the Archangel Gabriel by the workshop of Nicola Pisano, Pisa, ca. 1260 - ca. 1270

The archangel is shown standing on an angled platform with a moulded edge holding a censer, box or orb in his raised right hand and a sceptre in his left. At his back is an angled shaft with a square abacus head.

The history of this object is somewhat obscure. It was acquired in Florence by JC Robinson along with 5797, 5798 and 5799-1959. Robinson states in Italian Sculpture of the Middle Ages(p.1) that all 4 fragments "came from a church in the neighbourhood of Pisa, and the original position, in work, of the three angle-piers may be seen from a photograph, placed near them, of the celebrated marble pulpit by Nicola Pisano in the baptistery [sic] of the cathedral at Pisa, corresponding details of which they closely resemble." The present piece was bought for £10. Since their acquisition the histories of this and the others acquired with it have not been resolved. Robinson gives all 4 to Nicola or Giovanni Pisano in the second half of the 13th century. This figure is mistakenly given by Venturi as St Raphael.

Historical significance: These objects are of historical significance both because of their rarity and quality. Examples of Tuscan carving of this period outside Italy, especial ones which have formed part of a larger architectural scheme, are rare. The quality of carving displayed (as discussed in the Curator's notes) is also, in some parts, of very high quality. Being able to look at the objects as sparate entities enables the viewer to gain unique insight into the way they were carved. It is possible to see clearly the drill holes and carving techniques employed at the time. They are also important in trying to establish the cannon of Tuscan sculpture carving. Although they have been hotly debated since their arrival in the museum, with differing attributions, it is clear that they are connected to the workshop of Nicola Pisano and are useful in the discussion of the different hands in that workshop and its possible output.

The function of this object is not entirely clear. Robinson (1862) states that along with 5798-1859 (Archangel Michael) and 5797-1859 (Ss Peter, Paul and James) that these three were originally the angle-piers of a marble pulpit. Maclagan and Longhurst say "they are not in the same marble, and can hardly be ascribed to the same sculptor" (p.4) [that is to say the Archangels are not in the same marble as 5797-1859] and link the Archangels with the hand of Fra Guglielmo based on comparison with a holy-water stoup in the Bargello, Florence and the angel in the Louvre. As Pope-Hennessy adeptly points out in his Italian Sculpture Catalogue "The problem of the authorship of the two carvings is inseparable from that of the function they were intended to fulfil." The angled shaft running the verticle length of the back of the figure can be identified as the joining point of an angled scheme, possibly hexagonal. That could be a pulpit or a tomb. Pope-Hennessy places the figures via a stylistic similarity to Lapo as part of the Acra of St Dominic in San Domenico Maggiore in Bologna. This view is backed up by Moskowitz in her 1992 article. However, Williamson casts doubt on this theory in the European Sculpture catalogue of 1996, saying the evidence is inconclusive to link them to the Arca. Stylistically he gives them to the workshop of Nicola Pisano possibly by the hands of Arnolfo di Cambio and Fra Guglielmo. Williamson confirms and expands this view in Gothic Sculpture 1140-1300, based on the Pisan provenance and the physical design of the pieces with the angled shafts on the back. Williamson's view is confirmed by the most recent literature on the subject, the Duecento exhibition catalogue from Bologna in 2000. In this Ferretti also rejects Pope-Hennessy's reconstruction of the Arca because of the unfinished back of these pieces.

This figure, and the St Michael also in the V&A collection, probably came from a large pulpit or tomb. Different workshop assistants might have worked on each figure. The tubular folds on Gabriel’s robe were made with a ‘running drill’ technique: a series of holes was made with a drill, and the spaces between them removed.

These objects are of historical significance both because of their rarity and quality. Examples of Tuscan carving of this period outside Italy, especial ones which have formed part of a larger architectural scheme, are rare. The quality of carving displayed (as discussed in the Curator's notes) is also, in some parts, of very high quality. Being able to look at the objects as sparate entities enables the viewer to gain unique insight into the way they were carved. It is possible to see clearly the drill holes and carving techniques employed at the time. They are also important in trying to establish the cannon of Tuscan sculpture carving. Although they have been hotly debated since their arrival in the museum, with differing attributions, it is clear that they are connected to the workshop of Nicola Pisano and are useful in the discussion of the different hands in that workshop and its possible output.

5800-1859