|
The Gothic façade of the Orvieto Cathedral is one of the great masterpieces of the Late Middle Ages. The bas-reliefs on the piers depict biblical stories from the Old and New Testament. They are considered among the most famous of all 14th-century sculpture. These marbles from the fourteenth and fifteenth century are the collective and anonymous work of at least three or four masters with assistance of their workshops. It is assumed that Maitani must have worked on the reliefs on the first pier from the left, as work on the reliefs began before 1310. The contract of 1310 did allow Maitani to retain some assistants for the sculptural work on the façade, but it seems likely that these craftsmen had already begun the work under the supervision of an earlier master. The reliefs on the second and third piers are by these craftsmen.
The installation of these marbles on the piers began in 1331. They depict from left to right:
- Pier 1: Stories of the Old Testament (Book of Genesis).
- Pier 2: Tree of Jesse with Old Testament scenes (messianic prophesies of Redemption).
- Pier 3: Scenes from the New Testament (episodes from the lives of Jesus and Mary).
- Pier 4: Last Judgment (Book of Revelation).
| 
