L’architrave del portale maggiore del Duomo di Siena.
Giovanni Pisano e la scultura senese a cavallo tra Due e Trecento
Irene Bruzzone
The sculpted architrave above the main portal of Siena Cathedral has long held an uncertain position in scholarly debate because of its poor state of preservation and unresolved issues of attribution and chronology. This paper re-examines the monument through an integrated approach combining formal analysis and technical investigation, situating the execution of the reliefs within the first phase of construction directed by Giovanni Pisano between 1284 and 1297. Comparison with Giovanni’s later works confirms his role in the iconographic conception and overall design, while material and stylistic evidence suggests differentiated modes of execution by a local workshop. The architrave thus emerges as a key case study for understanding the dynamics of a medieval building site and as a transitional work toward new relief formulations that would shape Sienese sculpture in the early Trecento.