Placed inside the Dome, in a rectangular space
between the courtyard and the right wall of
the museum, it collects some of the most representative
objects of the medioeval high sculpture, mainly
belonging to the Longobarda's age. Ara del Duca
Rachtis: the adoration of Magi the stone's Altar,
or Ratchis'Altar is the most important monument
of this sculpture. In the frontal side it is
represented Christ on the throne between two
cherubs, within an almond supported by four
angels; the two lateral sides contain the Visitatione
with the Vergine and S. Elisabetta in the action
of embracing themselves and the Adoration of
the Magi with the Vergine on the throne with
the Son on her lap; in the back side, decorated
with crosses and geometric figures, there is
a window corresponding to the reliquary's opening.
On the upper part of the front side and of the
other three sides that form the Altar, run all
around an inscription, a time colored in minium:
it assures that the dating of the work is between
the years 737 and 744, in the period between
the election of Ratchis first to duca of the
Friuli, and then to king of the Longobardo Reign.
The figures, the harmony and the equilibrium
all the objects are disposed with in the scenary,
are tied to modules bizantini and ravennati,
while geometric assonances of the East are reflected
in particular in the vegetables and flowered
decorations. The Ara del Duca Rachtis, visitatione
of the Magi Ara of the Duca Rachtis, Christ
in Gloria, all these representations finds actions
in the mentality of the artist or of the group
of artists, they find inspiration widely in
the barbaric cultural, expressing itself with
a primitive
technique, they distroy the physical shapes in
the attempt to recover the ancient models of the
figured sculpture to high relief. The other great
monument placed in the Christian Museum is the
Baptistry, or Callisto's Baptistery, formed by
an octagon with seven original bows and an unoriginal
one, supported by eight columns in a balustrade
in which there are fragments of plutei of medioevale
age. The baptismal basin originally was placed
in front of the Basilica in the baptismal church
dedicated to S. Giovanni built by the Patriarch
Callisto in the XI century where the ancient baptistry
was originally placed. The decoration of the bows
is very light and very much remarkable the symbolic
carved animals. >From a stilistyc side capitals
are perfect (much similar to those of the Tempietto
di S.Maria inValle) in acanthus leaves, probably
from the V-VI century and reused. All over the
arch run around an inscription that testifies
the age of the construction of the bows after
the years of the takeover of Patriarch Callisto,
coming from Cormòns (737-756) in Cividale.
In the Baptistry we can find models and influences
from classics, bizantini and oriental; the geometric
decoration dominates but it is possible to find
traces of classicism and a recall to naturalism.
In the composition it is very important the group
of vegetables and fantastic animals coming from
the Eastern art that, belonging to a culture that
did not love to represent the human figure, it
influenced negatively the laborious western process
of figurative sculpture, an example of which or
attempt of great value had been realized before
the Tegurio callistino, in the Altar of Ratchis.
In one side of the octagonal parapet of the Baptistry
one can see the pluteo of Sigualdo, originally
owned by the church of S. Giovanni Baptist and
dedicated - as it appears in the inscription of
the central side- to Patriarch Sigualdo successor
of Callisto (756-786).In the four round placed
in the corners there are represented the four
Evangelists, each of them with an expalnation,
and in the two central squares a Latin cross with
rosettes, palms and candle holders (upper side),
a tree of the life with lion's head, doves and
snouts (down side). The symbols of the Evangelists
at half body, that hold the tablets with his own
inscriptions, are freely represented without any
reference to the single nature of the animals
(Eagle, ox, lion), while the face of the Angel
as a pear upsidedown strongly recalls the representations
of the Altar of Ratchis. In the decoration prevail
and modules with geometric figures and animals
coming from the Eastern art. Before leaving the
Museum Christian, one can admire other fragments
of altomedioevale sculpture, such as some interesting
timpani of Ciborio coming from the Tempietto. |
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Ara del Duca Rachtis: l'adorazione dei magi |
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Ara del Duca Rachtis: visitazione dei Magi |
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Cattedra Patriarcale del XI secolo |
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Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (esterno) |
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Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (interno) |
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Turismo>Christian
Museum of the Dome 
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