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Christ and St. Thomas (Verrocchio)
Encyclopedia
Christ and St. Thomas is a bronze statue by Andrea del Verrocchio
located in one of the 14 niches of the Orsanmichele
in Florence
, Italy
. The work depicts the Biblical
account of Thomas the Apostle, who doubted the resurrection
of Jesus
and had to feel the wounds for himself in order to be convinced (John 20:24-29). The surrounding marble niche was designed by Donatello
for his St Louis of Toulouse (1413), but the statue was moved to Santa Croce
when the niche was sold to the Tribunale di Mercanzia (merchant's guild), who commissioned the Verrochio work.
. The figures were cast without backs (i.e., not in the round) as they were only to be viewed from the front. This had the added benefits of saving on bronze (which was roughly ten times more expensive than marble), making the work lighter and easier to fit into the niche.
The interaction between the characters of Christ and St Thomas show a strong sense of movement and dialogue. Differences between the mortal and the immortal are highlighted with Christ's passive, almost regal stance and the agitated and nervous disposition of the doubting St Thomas. The realism created by the artist is indicative of the period of art in which it was made, the Renaissance
.
Andrea del Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio , born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was an Italian sculptor, goldsmith and painter who worked at the court of Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence in the early renaissance. Few paintings are attributed to him with certainty, but a number of important painters were...
located in one of the 14 niches of the Orsanmichele
Orsanmichele
Orsanmichele is a church in the Italian city of Florence...
in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The work depicts the Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
account of Thomas the Apostle, who doubted the resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
and had to feel the wounds for himself in order to be convinced (John 20:24-29). The surrounding marble niche was designed by Donatello
Donatello
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi , also known as Donatello, was an early Renaissance Italian artist and sculptor from Florence...
for his St Louis of Toulouse (1413), but the statue was moved to Santa Croce
Santa Croce
Santa Croce is one of the six sestieri of Venice, northern Italy.-Geography:It occupies the north west part of the main islands, and can be divided into two areas: the eastern area being largely mediaeval, and the western - including the main port and the Tronchetto - mostly lying on land reclaimed...
when the niche was sold to the Tribunale di Mercanzia (merchant's guild), who commissioned the Verrochio work.
Style
The work was the first narrative based work to appear at Orsanmichele. In its execution Verrocchio showed sophisticated knowledge of the style and substance of classical sculptureClassical sculpture
Classical sculpture refers to the forms of sculpture from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, as well as the Hellenized and Romanized civilizations under their rule or influence from about 500 BC to fall of Rome in AD 476. It also refers stylistically to modern sculptures done in a classical style....
. The figures were cast without backs (i.e., not in the round) as they were only to be viewed from the front. This had the added benefits of saving on bronze (which was roughly ten times more expensive than marble), making the work lighter and easier to fit into the niche.
The interaction between the characters of Christ and St Thomas show a strong sense of movement and dialogue. Differences between the mortal and the immortal are highlighted with Christ's passive, almost regal stance and the agitated and nervous disposition of the doubting St Thomas. The realism created by the artist is indicative of the period of art in which it was made, the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
.