Arnolfo, Non-Arnolfo: New (And Some Old) Observations on the Ciborium in San Paolo fuori le mura

Abstract

Arnolfo di Cambio's ciborium in San Paolo fuori le mura, Rome, dated 1285, suffered more damage during the disastrous fire of 1823 than has been acknowledged. Engravings made before and after the fire reveal that a considerable portion of the superstructure was destroyed. After the fire the ciborium was dismantled, and reassembled only in 1840. A published description of a papal visit in 1838, not previously cited by scholars, refers to the fact that portions of the ciborium, then in the process of being rebuilt, are imitations of the original sculptures and decorative embellishments. Although Arnolfo's masterpiece has been intensively studied, no one has observed the discrepancies between the original mosaics and carvings and those which, when seen with an unprejudiced eye, are clearly nineteenth-century replacements. This paper also raises the question why, given the lack of esteem for Gothic art and for medieval art in general during the early nineteenth century in Italy--witness the unnecessarily radical rebuilding of the early Christian basilica of San Paolo in a neo-classical style--the decision was made to reconstruct the ciborium in an Italian Gothic style and replace it in its original location.