PIETRO VANNINI’S PROCESSIONAL CROSS

Abstract

Nowadays, Pietro Vannini is considered one of the most skilled 15th- century Italian goldsmiths. He was able to harmonize stylistic features of the late Gothic tradition with the new elements typical of the Renaissance art. Indeed, he realised various monstrances, crosses and reliquaries that are still displayed in important museums and churches. Yet, this article focuses on one of his less famous creations, a processional cross displayed at the Diocesan Museum of Osimo. The artefact has not been adequately documented in the past, despite its relevance, and this has caused confusion on its origin and iconography. Various are the hypothesis on the date of its origin, among them the one from scholar Clerici assigns the cross to the late fifteenth century. Moreover, complex is the analysis and identification of the figures that decorate the cross from the iconographical point of view. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to clarify the story of the cross and to underline its relevance. The article starts from the origin of the cross along with a stylistic and iconographic in-depth analysis, where scholars such as Gori, Fanciulli and Montevecchi (one of the best scholars of Vannini) express their views. Then proceeds to a focus on the several restorations the piece has undergone, from those mandated by bishop Spada and bishop Compagnoni, to the campaignsthat have not been documented, yet can be inferred from the changes they brought to the artefact and its various descriptions throughout different periods in history.