San Giovanni di Capistrano
by Mariya Shkurygina
This statue was made for both men and women who come to a Catholic Church. Perhaps people who looked at it were praying to get closer to God. Soldiers likely also came and worshipped the statue of Capistrano because he was s soldier saint when he went on crusade against the Turks. The sculptor, Santi Buglioni, was a relative of Benedetto Buglioni (''Santi Buglioni,'' Oxford Art Online). Benedetto Buglioni probably worked with Andrea della Robbia, from whom he learned his techniques (''Benedetto Buglioni,'' Oxford Art Online). Robbia developed his technique in the fifteenth century. From Robbia, Benedetto Buglioni learned his skills and then may have passed them onto his relatives, together with his workshop (''Andrea della Robbia,'' Oxford Art Online). During Santi Buglioni’s time, sculptors focused more on human figures and human actions. This kind of sculpture was developing from the late Middle Ages and continued on into the nineteenth century. They were focusing on the human action because artists were aiming to show drama in people's lives, such as heroism and tragedy. (''Western Sculpture,'' Encyclopedia Britannica).
In today's world Capistrano is still inspiring many artists, who create art devoted to his image. Nowadays, not a lot of people know about Capistrano, so there are not many objects related to him. On Amazon.com, there is an object with Capistrano's figure carved into a pendant. This sterling silver pendant, on the chain with carving of the saint in the middle, is positioned similarly to the LACMA sculpture. Capistrano, like in the sculpture from LACMA, is holding a banner and with another hand he points up. Around the saint there are carvings of his name and in the bottom it is written ''pray for us''. This means that even nowadays some people believe that if they show their devotion to Capistrano they can get closer to god. This pendant is perhaps mostly for people who are either in the military or are Catholics (or both), because San Capistrano was a preacher with a military past.
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Made in Italy, Florence, in circa 1550 by Santi Buglioni, this object is a sculpture of San Giovanni di Capistrano, or John of Capistrano. Giovanni was born in 1388, in Capistrano, and died in 1456 in Villach, Hungary. In 1412, he became a governor of the Italian city Perugia, and he also studied there. He was married, but his marriage was never completed. Sometime later, he decided to become a Franciscan in 1416, and after that his marriage was annulled. He went on preaching trips with Bernadine of Siena, and also did preaching himself. In 1425, he was ordained and became a famous preacher in Italy. John of Capistrano helped Franciscans with their reforms and many times he was sent as a representative from the Holy See to France and Austria. He preached against the Hussites, and because of that he traveled around Europe. He was at the Diet of Frankfurt in 1454 and joined John Hunyadi in the crusade against the Turks. San Giovanni di Capistrano mostly wrote against heresies of his days (Walsh, ''John of Capistrano'') His statue in LACMA is 61 inches in height and 30 inches in width. This object may have been used as a decoration in a church, so people who came there could honor the saint, and give their respects and show their devotion to what he achieved in his life. I was interested in this sculpture because even though he was a preacher, he also went to war against Turks.
Santi Buglioni made this object out of glazed terracotta. Terracotta is a low-fired pottery that is made from clay and ceramics. Works that were created from terracotta could be found in both Western and pre-Columbian cultures before the fourteenth century. This sculpture was worked completely in-the-round, which means the figure is presented in three-dimensionally and is not attached to a flat background (“terracotta,” Encyclopedia Britannica). Capistrano is holding a banner that has IHS on it. These letters represent the name ''Jesus'' in Greek (“Christogram,” The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantine). He is wearing a brownish-gray Franciscan habit. These kinds of clothes were usually worn by members of this mendicant order. On Capistrano’s belt we may see a yellow rosary with blue beads, called a cincture. It is usually worn above the waist. Parts of the body that are not covered are his feet, arms, and head. On his feet John of Capistrano is wearing sandals, which is common for Franciscans to wear at that time. While in one hand he is holding a banner, in the other he is pointing up to heaven. His facial expression shows that he may be saying something important, possibly giving a speech or preaching to people. Also, the sculptor shows Capistrano’s advancing age by making drawing and sculpting wrinkles in his face and hands.
The Saint John of Capistrano neckless on Amazon for sale (In gold and silver)
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Santi Buglioni (1494-1576)
Works Cited
“Benedetto Buglioni.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed November 28, 2015.
“Christogram.” The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantine, Oxford University Press, Web Accessed November 29, 2015.
Gentillini, Giancarlo. “Santi Buglioni.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed , November 28, 2015.
Gentillini, Giancarlo. “Andrea della Robbia.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed , November 28, 2015.
“Mannerism.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Academic. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Web. Accessed November 26, 2015.
“terracotta.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Academic. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Web. Accessed November 26, 2015.
Walsh, Michael. A New Dictionary of the Saints: East and West. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2007.
“Christogram.” The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantine, Oxford University Press, Web Accessed November 29, 2015.
Gentillini, Giancarlo. “Santi Buglioni.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed , November 28, 2015.
Gentillini, Giancarlo. “Andrea della Robbia.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. Accessed , November 28, 2015.
“Mannerism.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Academic. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Web. Accessed November 26, 2015.
“terracotta.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica Academic. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Web. Accessed November 26, 2015.
Walsh, Michael. A New Dictionary of the Saints: East and West. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2007.