Tomb of Cardinal Rainaldo Brancaccio

Abstract

The tomb of Cardinal Rainaldo Brancaccio was a collaborative work between Tuscan artists, Donatello and Michelozzo. Production of the tomb began in 1426 in Pisa under Donatello’s supervision. In July 1427, Michelozzo’s catasto returns (tax declaration) records that only a quarter of the tomb had been completed. As Lightbown notes, between 1426 and the patron’s death in March of 1427, Michelozzo and Donatello showed little urgency in advancing the project, focusing instead on other commissions while the patron was still alive. In 1428, the tomb was sent to Naples and was painted and gilded by artists hired by the patron before he died. Michelozzo travelled to Naples to supervise the monument's assembly. The tomb had also been incomplete due to a lack of funding. Scholars have frequently debated over which artist produced what for the monument. Scholars generally agree that the design of the tomb, the Madonna and Child relief, and the virtues were done by Michelozzo. On the other hand, Donatello designed the sarcophagus and sculpted the angels. Records indicate that assistants also contributed to the project: Tuscan artist, Pagno di Lapo, is credited with sculpting the lunette, while Nanni di Miniato, a student of Donatello, is noted for assisting in the monument’s construction, though the exact nature of his role remains uncertain. At the top of the monument is a painted relief of God the Father, flanked by two putti blowing trumpets, which invite the viewer to imagine Brancaccio’s soul ascending to heaven at the sound of their music. Beneath an arched canopy is a half-length depiction of the Virgin and Child flanked by Saint John the Baptist and the Archangel Michael. The saints and the Virgin are superimposed against a blue background, with gold rays of light emerging from the Virgin Mary. Below the figures are two angels who hold back the curtains to reveal Cardinal Brancacci’s effigy. At the center of his tomb is a rilievo schiacciato (a shallow relief sculpture) of the Assumption of the Virgin by Donatello. Flanking the relief is the Brancaccio coat of arms, painted in red and blue. The tomb is supported on the shoulders of three caryatids. Brancaccio’s tomb follows Angevin prototypes commonly found in Naples, where tombs were often supported by sculpted Virtues that conveyed specific moral qualities. However, the three female figures in Brancaccio’s tomb carry no moral symbolism and were likely intended purely as decoration. The monument also combines Classical and Gothic elements. As R.W. Lightbown notes, Florentine artists of the early 15th century embraced the latest Gothic innovations while also drawing on Classical Antiquity. Donatello and Michelozzo adopted this approach in Brancaccio’s tomb, incorporating Classical motifs such as Corinthian columns, while also employing Gothic characteristics such as verticality, pointed forms, and monumental scale. The tomb is located in the church of Sant’Angelo a Nilo in Naples, Campania. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.