Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/767

 WOOD-CARVING

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WOOD-CARVING

greatly by the devoloi)racnt of stone sculpture, and in many pieces of church equipment it sought to compote with work in stone, as in candelabra and reading-desks. However, in Italy it is chiefly the choir-stalls, the thrones of the bishops and abbots, and the cupboards in the sacristies which prove the high artistic development of wood-carving. The ornaments produced in the carved work for churches have in the main the same delicate, attractive grace as those intended for secular purposes. Like the latter they are decorated with vine-work, figures of animals, and fabulous creatures in the most delicate and rich relief. It was customary to employ archi- tects, who were also employed for decorative w'ork in stone, to produce the designs for large works in carved wood, such as choir-stalls. Thus such designs were made in Florence by Benedetto da Majano, in Siena by Ventura di Ser Giuliano, the architect of the church of San Bernardino at Siena. Local tradition seeks to comiect distinguished names with the designs for celebrated carved-work; thus in Siena such designs are attributed to Peruzzi, in Perugia to Perugino and Raphael. In general, however, the master who executed the carving usually produced the design. This view is all the more probable as the occupation of wood-earving frequently descended from father to son and thus, as in other branches of work, family traditions arose. This explains in part the often extraordinary technique. \Ve know of a number of artist families of Upper Italy who travelled through- out Italy, exercising their skill in cathedral and mon- astery churches. Besides these lay master-workmen, various members of different orders gave their atten- tion to wood-carving. Especially celebrated among such are Fra Giovanni da Verona (14.57- L52.5), whose work is to be found in Maria in Organo at Verona, in Lodi, Montiohveto near Siena, and at the Vatican; Fra Damiano Zambeili da Bergamo (14S0-1.549), whose work is at Bergamo, Milan, Bologna, Perugia, and Genoa; Fra Rafaele da Brescia (1477-1.5.37), whose can'ings are at Bologna and Montioliveto near Siena. The styles of the Renaissance came into vogue in the making of church equipments through the influ- ence of BruncUeschi and Donatello, and appeared first of all at Florence. As far as wood-carving is concerned the effects of the Renaissance are nowhere better to be observed than in the choir-stalls. It was largely Florentine masters who executed the carved work on the large numbers of choir-stalls that have been preseried in Tuscany and Umbria. Thus Giuliano and .Antonio da San Gallo worked on the choir-stalLs of the Benedictine Abbey of San Pietro in Perugia, the varied grotcsquesof which are of extraor- dinary dehcacy. In the late Renaissance the purely ornamental decoration is frequently replaced by scenes containing figures. Among the most important works of this period are the choir-stalls in San Giorgio Maggioreat Venice by Alberto di Brule, and those in Santa Giustina at Padua by Taurino and Andrea Campagnola with pictures carved in rehef on the backs. Closely connected with the choir-stalls is the choir-desk which consists of a base shaped like a pedestal, a support formed hko a cande- labrum, and the book-rest. The base and the support in particular are frequently ornamented with rich carving; examples of such work of the late Renais- Bjmce are the desk in the cathedral at Siena and that in San Pietro at Perugia. Another piece of furniture that the art of car\'ing selected for embellishment was the cupboard of the sacristy, the doors of which were artistically ornamented. The most important work of this class is in the new sacristy of the cathedral of Florence; on the panels of this cupboard is a carving in high relief of boys carri'ing a WTeath. The work is that of Ciiuliano da Majano; it contains individual figiires, reliefs, fabulous creatures, and ornaments, and its sumptuousness baffles description, and is

hardly to be appreciated from illustrations. It exhibits the technique of the art of wood-carving in a completeness that can scarcely be surpassed. How- ever, regarded purely from the artistic point of view, the works of the early and central period of the Renaissance also exhibit a very high level of wood- carving.

The styles of the succeeding periods may be touched on more briefly, as wood-carving produced but little that was new except that the manner of ornamenta- tion was altered. Perhaps the decoration of the con- fessional might be considered a novelty. Up to this era the confessional had generally been without adorn- ment. In the Baroque period the confessionals were frequently adorned with large carved wooden figures on each side of the door and had a cornice at the top. The exceedingly high altars which towered in the German churches of this i)eriod presented a hitherto unknown problem to wood-carving. This was the decoration of the large twisted colunms with garlands and cherubs, and the arranging of angels with huge wings and saints in ecstatic and tortuous positions between the columns as well as on the interrupted gabled pediment. The production of carved head pieces for the church pews which up to that time had been left without decoration was also a novelty. Much attention was paid to the pulpit. This was especially the case in Belgium where the pulpit was adorned in a very naturalistic manner with moun- tains, trees, clouds, and groups of figures. During the Baroque period there was a great demand for wood-carving. In 1614 Archduke Albert in Belgium ordered the speedy restoration in the old style of the ecclesiastical objects that had been destroyed during the religious strife. This command was carried out chiefly as regards the inner restoration of the churches, and in this undertaking wood-carving had a large share. In Germany and Austria during the same era the great work of the Counter-Reformation was completed, one result of which was the building or renovation of large numbers of churches, and the production of ornate church furniture, esi)ecially of choir-stalls, organ-cases, and confessionals. These furnishings were generally made of wood and richly decorated with the lavish carving and high relief of the Baroque style, or rather frequently overloaded with ornamentation. The decoration consisted of the same flamboyant ornaments, cartouches, and the same scroll-work as were customary in the secular art of the period.

The heaviness of the Baroque was followed by the airiness of the Rococo style, which was succeeded later by the stiff precision of the Empire style. The lack of artistic depth and force in the Empire style is perhaps nowhere more clearly evident than in church furniture. This style may have been able to give a delicate, graceful appearance and a brilliant effect to the ball-room, the theatre, boudoir, and the draw- ing-room, but it failed so far as church furniture was concerned to inspire in those at prayer a religious frame of mind and a sense of devotion. At the same time it must be conceded to the art of carv'ing of that era that it can .show important results in purely deco- rative work, as seen in the altars, choir-stalls, con- fessionals, and pulpits of the great churches of the second half of the eighteenth century in Southern Germany and Austria. Examples are the choir- stalls at Wiblingen near Ulm executed by Janu.arius Zicck (1780), and those in the collegiate church of St. Gall (176.5). Large panels with scenes carved in relief from the Old and New Testament framed in the ornamental work of the art of the jieriod form the main scheme of decoration. This sumptuous wooden furniture in many churches w.as evidence both of the great technical skill of the carver and of the large amount of money expended by those who built the churches. If, however, their united efiforta have