Giovanni di Balduccio
Tomb of St. Peter Martyr
1336-39
Marble
Portinari Chapel
Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio, Milan
St. Peter Martyr lies in the sarcophagus, which is supported by eight columns paired with statues of personified virtues. The lid features Saints John and Paul, the angelic choirs, and the Madonna. These elements are all studied individually in the following pages:
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The Eight Virtues
These allegorical figures are not caryatids but stand slightly forward of the columns that actually support the sarcophagus. Their names are inscribed on the capitals of the eight columns. Each figure holds an attribute appropriate to the virtue represented and has an appropriate pair of animals at her feet.
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Along the front: Close-ups and explanations of the four moral virtues – Justice, Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence.
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Along the back: Close-ups and explanations of Obedience and the three theological virtues – Faith, Hope, and Charity.
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The Body of the Sarcophagus
The relief sculptures on the body of the sarcophagus follow a chronology that begins with the panels on the back and continues to the left end, the front, and the right end.
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Back: Miracles of St. Peter Martyr
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Left End: His assassination
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Front: Veneration, Canonization, Miracle of the Ship
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Right End: The body being transferred to this sarcophagus
Additionally, at the corners are statues of the four Doctors of the Church: Saints Ambrose and Gregory on the front, Augustine and Jerome on the back.
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The Lid and the Annunciation Fresco
Read more about images of St. Peter Martyr.
Sources: This photograph: Wikimedia Commons. Images listed above: photographed at the basilica by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.