Pulpit

Presumably, due to the success and fame of the Pisa pulpit, Nicola was commissioned in 1265 to sculpt another in Carrara marble for the Duomo of Siena. This second pulpit was complete by 1268 and is far more ambitious than its Pisan predecessor; it is octagonal and therefore has seven historiated reliefs. The dark colonnettes framing the Pisa panels have been exchanged for figures in white marble at the angles, allowing the narrative to flow while diminishing the classical containment. The richly carved cornice adds to the feeling of surface excitement and unity; it encourages a continuous scroll-like reading of the narratives, which is accentuated by a line of inlay above the lower cornice.

The larger dimensions and layout of the Siena pulpit resulted from both practical and aesthetic considerations. The scenes of the Pisa Baptistery pulpit are clearly visible from any location within that small structure, but in the vast dark interior of the richly striated Sienese Cathedral it is difficult to view individual scenes. Nicola must have been aware of these limitations and planned his pulpit accordingly. In addition, the number of "dramatis personae" in each scene has been increased, necessitating a reduction in their scale. Thus the serene simplicity of Pisa has been exchanged for a richness of surface, motion and narrative.

On the panels on the parapet, there are carved reliefs representing a Christological cycle from the Visitation to the Last Judgment. An aspect of these reliefs is that each one shows more than one subject, whereas, the Last Judgment is told in the space of two reliefs. The panels of this monumental pulpit share the same compression style of the Late Antique and Roman sarcophagi. In between each of the panels on the corner sections Nicola chose to include Christian symbols to help make the story line of the panels to flow more effortlessly. The many figures in each scene with their chiaroscuro effect show a richness of surface, motion and narrative.

The seven scenes on the parapet, narrating the Life of Christ, are the following.

1. Visitation and Nativity
2. Journey and Adoration of the Magi
3. Presentation in the Temple and Flight into Egypt
4. Massacre of the Innocents
5. Crucifixion
6. Last Judgment with the Elect
7. Last Judgment with the Damned

A new composition for the narrative panels also appears in Siena. Rows of figures are set above each other to suggest depth and create a dense horror vacui. This compositional device reveals that Nicola had looked at later Roman sarcophagi, which also stimulated Giovanni. The increased surface pattern, the thin somatic types, the greater amount and depth of the drilling and the "bridge" (a small piece of stone connecting heads to the relief) all signal late Roman sources. So too the increased emotion, violence and linear drapery betray a study of these precedents, coupled with a freedom of expression.