Christ and St. Thomas (1467–1483) is a bronze statue by Andrea del Verrocchio made for one of the 14 niches on the exterior walls of the Orsanmichele in Florence, Italy, where it is now replaced by a cast and the original moved inside the building, which is now a museum. It shows the Incredulity of Thomas, frequently represented in Christian art since at least the 5th century and used to make a variety of theological points. Thomas the Apostle 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),[1] 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.
Christ and St. Thomas (cast shown in original location)
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 sculpture. 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.
Mercanzia
Part of the remit of the Merchant's guild was to be a judicial, overseeing body. As such the theme of Christ and St Thomas would have been attractive to them as it concerned proof and the presentation of reliable evidence.
christ, thomas, verrocchio, christ, thomas, 1467, 1483, bronze, statue, andrea, verrocchio, made, niches, exterior, walls, orsanmichele, florence, italy, where, replaced, cast, original, moved, inside, building, which, museum, shows, incredulity, thomas, frequ. Christ and St Thomas 1467 1483 is a bronze statue by Andrea del Verrocchio made for one of the 14 niches on the exterior walls of the Orsanmichele in Florence Italy where it is now replaced by a cast and the original moved inside the building which is now a museum It shows the Incredulity of Thomas frequently represented in Christian art since at least the 5th century and used to make a variety of theological points Thomas the Apostle 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 1 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 Christ and St Thomas cast shown in original location ArtistAndrea del VerrocchioYear1467 1483TypeBronzeDimensions230 cm 91 in LocationOrsanmichele Florence Contents 1 Style 2 Mercanzia 3 See also 4 ReferencesStyle Edit Closeup of the copy 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 sculpture 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 Mercanzia EditPart of the remit of the Merchant s guild was to be a judicial overseeing body As such the theme of Christ and St Thomas would have been attractive to them as it concerned proof and the presentation of reliable evidence See also EditList of statues of JesusReferences Edit Decker Heinrich 1969 1967 The Renaissance in Italy Architecture Sculpture Frescoes New York The Viking Press p 24 Hartt Frederick and Wilkins David G History of Italian Renaissance Art Upper Saddle River NJ Pearson Prentice Hall 2006 Coordinates 43 46 14 63 N 11 15 18 92 E 43 7707306 N 11 2552556 E 43 7707306 11 2552556 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Christ and St Thomas Verrocchio amp oldid 1140740830, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
