Tomb of Niccolò Cusano

Abstract

On the west wall of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome is the tomb of Niccolò Cusano (1401–1464; also known as Nicolaus Cusanus, Nicolaus Treverensis, Nikolaus von Kues and Nicholas of Cusa) by Andrea Bregno (1418–1503). He was named Cardinal-Priest of the church in 1448. Cusano was a fifteenth-century German philosopher, theologian, mathematician, and cardinal known for his ideas on learned ignorance (docta ignorantia), the infinity of the universe, and the unity of opposites, which bridged medieval scholasticism and Renaissance humanism. The relief depicts the cardinal kneeling on the left. In the middle is Saint Peter enthroned, holding a book and a key in his right hand and a chain in his left. The other end of the chain is in the hands of an angel with gilded wings positioned on Saint Peter’s left. The chain has a broken link, which is a reference to both the cardinal’s liberation from prison and the chain used to imprison Peter in Jerusalem. The three figures are set against a blue background with gilded details. Beneath the three-panel relief is the Cardinal’s coat of arms decorated in blue, red, and gold. Archival documents report that the fragments that make up the tomb were placed here in 1704 during a restoration of the church under the direction of architect Francesco Fontana (1668–1708). Cusano’s will states that he wanted to be buried in front of St. Peter’s chains, a relic kept in the church. Upon his death, Cardinal Cusano left a fund for the continued renovation of the church. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.