Tablet thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 10

Tablet

1296 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The tablet bears an inscription referring to the foundation in 1296 of an oratory to St Thomas and the Virgin, by Tommaso Andrei, bishop of Pistoia (1285-1303). This was located at his birthplace, Casole d'Elsa, near Siena. Oratories were buildings, separate to churches, that were designated by the church as suitable for prayers and celebrating Mass. This oratory is known to have been no longer in existence by 1833.

Andrei was keen on sponsoring building works, and was also responsible for the construction, in Pistoia, of the church of Sta Maria Maddalena (completed 1290) and for the rebuilding of the church of S. Marco. His monument, by Gano da Siena, is in the Collegiata at Casole d'Elsa.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Incised slab in marble
Brief description
Incised tablet, marble, 1296, Italian
Physical description
The slab is inscribed, and in the lower corners are two small shields of arms (a cinquefoil between 3 roundels).
Dimensions
  • Height: 38cm
  • Width: 21.6cm
  • Depth: 6cm
  • Weight: 11kg
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Marks and inscriptions
VENERabilis PATER DOminus THOMAS DeI GRAtia PISToriensis EPiscopus FECit FIERI Hoc ORA TORIUm AD Hon OREm DeI ET GLOriose VirGinIS MARIE ET BeaTI THOME APostLI AD MCCLXXXXVI (Inscription; decoration; Latin)
Translation
The Holy Master Thomas, thanks be to God, bishop of Pistoia, had this oratory made, to the honour of God and to the glory of the Virgin and of St Thomas the Apostle, 1296 AD
Object history
The tablet was recorded in 1766 (Pope-Hennessy 1964) as preserved in an oratory dedicated to the Virgin and St Thomas in Casole d'Elsa. The oratory is known to have been no longer in existence by 1833.
Historical context
The tablet records the foundation in 1296 of an oratory to St Thomas and the Virgin, by Tommaso Andrei, bishop of Pistoia (1285-1303), at his birthplace, Casole d'Elsa, near Siena. He was keen on building works, being also responsible for the construction, in Pistoia, of the church of Sta Maria Maddalena (completed 1290) and for the rebuilding of the church of S. Marco.
His monument, by Gano da Siena, is in the Collegiata at Casole d'Elsa.
Association
Summary
The tablet bears an inscription referring to the foundation in 1296 of an oratory to St Thomas and the Virgin, by Tommaso Andrei, bishop of Pistoia (1285-1303). This was located at his birthplace, Casole d'Elsa, near Siena. Oratories were buildings, separate to churches, that were designated by the church as suitable for prayers and celebrating Mass. This oratory is known to have been no longer in existence by 1833.

Andrei was keen on sponsoring building works, and was also responsible for the construction, in Pistoia, of the church of Sta Maria Maddalena (completed 1290) and for the rebuilding of the church of S. Marco. His monument, by Gano da Siena, is in the Collegiata at Casole d'Elsa.
Bibliographic references
  • J. Pope-Hennessy, Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1964, vol. I, (cat. no. 14, p.14.
  • 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. 47
  • 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, p. 14
  • 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., p. 184
Collection
Accession number
5802-1859

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Record createdSeptember 12, 2002
Record URL
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