Original scientific paper
EARLY GOTHIC RELIEF OF THE ANGEL OF THE ANNUNCIATION FROM BALE
Predrag Marković
; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Abstract
On the site of the ancient parish church of Bale in Istria, which had been rebuilt several times, a new church was built at the end of the nineteenth century. This led to the dismantling of its old Gothic portal and the distribution of its parts in the interior of the new church. The marble statue of the angel of the Annunciation which had originally been placed at the pointed crown of the portal's rounded arch has been almost completely neglected by specialists although it is superior in execution to the relief of the Resurrected Christ originally in the lunette of the portal. The somewhat stiff attitude and summary modelling of this figure (presented down to the waist) reflects the retarded influence of Venetian Trecento sculpture, especially in the rich vegetable ornaments of the console from which the bust emerges. Judging from the characteristic grape-like fruit motif and the pointss of the fleshy leaves, this ornament is related to a similar vegetable ornament on the gallery capital of the Franciscan monastery cloister in Pula, as well as to the capitals of two columns flanking the side entrance to the Communal Palace atrium in Pula dated 1431. Discussing this specific type of vegetable architectural decoration in the early fifteenth century, the author further relates it to some analogous solutions found on the eastern Adriatic coast as well as the genesis of the grape motif. In the context of the regional sculpture of Istria in the second quarter of the fifteenth century, the Angel of the Annunciation in Bale, along with the Pula capitals, can be attributed to a Venetian artist of average artistic potential.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
151178
URI
Publication date:
15.12.1995.
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