St John the Baptist

myminifactory

This majestic figure proudly holds a tall bronze cross in its right hand and majestically surmounts a beautiful marble doorway in the Palazzo Vecchio's grand structure in Florence. The doorway was the crowning achievement of a plan devised by Benedetto da Maiano in 1472 to separate the Sala Grande on the second floor into an antechamber (the Saletta known since the 1480s as the Sala de' Gigli) and an audience chamber (Sala dell'Udienza). Benedetto designed the doorway with his brother, Giuliano (1432-90), but was solely responsible for the figurative parts of the door surround, which feature: St John the Baptist, flanked by four putti supporting flaming candelabra, above the entablature in the Saletta, along with a corresponding figure of Justice above the entablature in the Sala dell'Udienza. The intricate intarsia of the doors was executed by Giuliano da Maiano and Francesco di Giovanni (Il Francione) (1428-95), showcasing Petrach and Dante in the Saletta, with vases of flowers on the opposite side. This is a plaster cast from one of the two awe-inspiring Cast Courts at the V&A. Since they were first opened in 1873, these galleries have proudly displayed reproductions of some of the most significant monuments of medieval and Renaissance Europe. In these galleries, one can view plaster casts of sculptures from Renaissance Italy, notably some of the masterpieces produced by Donatello, Luca della Robbia, and Michelangelo. The sculptures are faithful copies of the originals. They were created in the 19th century, when the vogue for replicated works of art was at its peak. Museum visitors at that time generally had limited opportunities to travel abroad, and illustrated art books were expensive. These exceptional casts provided people with a rare glimpse of the original sculptures, even if they could not visit Florence or Rome. Artists and designers then and now can likewise sketch and learn from them. The painted surfaces of these reproductions often mirror the original stone or bronze, and the casts seem convincingly monumental. However, they are made of plaster, a relatively fragile material. Gallery location: Cast Courts, Room 46b, The Weston Cast Court, case FS, shelf NCourtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London