Baptistery Mosaics in Florence

Mosaic on the vault - 1240-1300 - Mosaic - Baptistry, Florence (click photo for larger image)Mosaic on the vault (detail, Vault, Southeast section) - 1240-1300 - Mosaic - Baptistry, Florence (click photo for larger image)Florence’s octagonal baptistery is one of the most important creations of the so-called Tuscan proto-Renaissance, which is typified by marble exterior sheathing, a rich wall arrangement, and sculptural architectural decor based on structures from antiquity. The decoration of the baptistery's interior includes an extensive mosaic decor, undertaken in around 1240-50. The mosaics are arranged in six horizontal registers, the top two filled with ornamental motifs and single figures, the lower ones featuring complete scenes. Aside from the Last Judgment, the pictorial program consists of scenes from the life of St John the Baptist. Roughly sixty to seventy years were required to complete the vaulting mosaics. This long period explains the stylistic differences that can easily be seen in the mosaics, some of them significant. The representations offer insight into the popular style then current in Florence, a mixture of the local late Romanesque and an imported Byzantine revival. We don’t know precisely when the planning and execution of the mosaics were begun and when the work was completed. As for the artists working on the project, almost all the painters who were active in Florence in the period in question have been somewhat associated with the baptistery mosaics. The detail featured here presents, from the top to the bottom: principalities; the Creation (Lamech killing Cain, God appearing to Noah, building of the Ark); the story of Joseph (Pharaoh's dream, Joseph interpreting the dream, Joseph named viceroy of Egypt); the life of Christ (massacre of the Innocents, Last Supper, arrest; the story of John (John sends his followers to Jesus, who witness his miracles, Herod's feast).