Campanile Reliefs

Of the many newly-cleaned and wonderfully presented works of art in the new Museo Opera del Duomo in Florence are the hexagonal reliefs for the cathedral campanile (bell tower) done by the sculptor Andrea Pisano in the 1330s. This one depicts the profession of the pharmacist or apothecary. The apothecary sits on his high chair, while his assistant helps customers. There are three women lined up, from youngest on the right, to middle-aged in the middle, and very old on the left, as if they represent three ages of life. All, apparently, are in need of the cures of the apothecary, who reaches for one of his jars filled with herbs, oils, unguents, or other concoctions. Ironically, it is the eldest woman whose facial features have survived the seven centuries best, while the poor apothecary’s face has eroded away through time, ever lost to our view.