Sts Peter, Paul and James thumbnail 1
Sts Peter, Paul and James thumbnail 2
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Sts Peter, Paul and James

Figure Group
ca. 1270 (carved)
Artist/Maker
Pisano, Nicola (makers)
Place of origin
Pisa (made)

This carving comes from a large sculpted pulpit, and would have appeared directly beneath a lectern. The three figures represent Saints Peter, Paul and James. Saint Paul is given prominence, because he was the author of the majority of the Epistles, from which readings would have been made at this lectern. Another carving acquired at the same time (Museum Number 5799-1859) would have acted as the support for the Gospel lectern, from which the gospel accounts of Christ's life were read during services. Both lectern supports may come from the same pulpit, now destroyed.

Object details

Category
Sculpture
Object type
Figure group
TitleSts Peter, Paul and James (generic title)
Materials and techniques
White marble in high relief
Marble
High Relief
Brief description
Figure group of Ss Peter, Paul and James by the workshop of Nicola Pisano, Pisa, ca. 1270
Physical description
In the centre stands St. Paul, his right hand resting on a volume of epistles held in his left. St. Peter is behind his left shoulder with a key, and St. James behind the right holding a scroll.
Dimensions
  • Height: 95.3cm
  • Width: 39cm
  • Depth: 37cm
  • Weight: 200kg
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries 2006.
Subjects depicted
Saints
St. Paul
Peter (Saint)
St. James the Greater
Summary
This carving comes from a large sculpted pulpit, and would have appeared directly beneath a lectern. The three figures represent Saints Peter, Paul and James. Saint Paul is given prominence, because he was the author of the majority of the Epistles, from which readings would have been made at this lectern. Another carving acquired at the same time (Museum Number 5799-1859) would have acted as the support for the Gospel lectern, from which the gospel accounts of Christ's life were read during services. Both lectern supports may come from the same pulpit, now destroyed.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1859 In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 29
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. Text. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1932, p. 4
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Volume I: Text. Eighth to Fifteenth Century. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1964, pp. 17, 18
  • Raggio, Olga. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Art Bulletin. Vol. L, 1968, pp. 99-100
  • Marguerite, Marie-Lys and Dectot, Xavier, ed. by, D'Or et D'Ivoire, Paris, Pise, Florence, Sienne, 1250-1320, Snooeck and Louvre Lens, 2015, exh. cat., pp. 96-97
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
5797-1859

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O17209/sts-peter-paul-and-james-figure-group-pisano-nicola/
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