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Home > Italy Travel Guide > Pisa Travel Guide > San Matteo National Museum (Museo Nazionale di San Matteo)

San Matteo National Museum Travel Guide

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Introduction
History
Location

ATTRACTIONS

Whats to See

INFORMATION

Useful information
Links

Introduction

Housed in part of a Benedictine Convent of San Matteo (dissolved 1866) dating from the 11th century, the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo is a must for those eager to retrace the history of medieval art in Pisa, but also provides an interesting few hours for casual browsers. The main part of the collection centres on sculpture and pictures of the Tuscan schools from the 12th century to the 15th century. Among them the masterworks of Giovanni and Andrea Pisano, the Master of San Martino, Simone Martini, Nino Pisano and Masaccio. Including a rich collection of sculpture from the Pisano School. The collections, though limited in scope, provide an interesting insight into the trends, of the local art scene throughout the first half of the last millennium.

History

The building that houses the museum is striking in itself, as in many places the walls still show the original paintings and decorative patterns that were applied in the late Middle Ages. Some of these geometric patterns, highly in vogue at the time, show remarkable similarities to the patterns on the Islamic bowls of the ceramic collection, hinting at the influence of the Islamic world on coastal Italy at the time.

Location

Address: Lungarno Mediceo, Piazza San Matte 1, I-56100, Pisa, Italy.

Whats to See

Of particular interest are the sculptures from various churches in Pisa, brought here to preserve them from increasing environmental pollution and replaced by copies in their original positions. The statues by Giovanni Pisano come from the baptistery, the famous “Madonna del Latte” (c. 1340) from the Church of Santa Maria della Spina.

Certain monographic collections are presently on display at the museum: medieval ceramics, Pisan painting from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, together with the cycle of the Painted Crosses, as well as sculptures and paintings from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The collection of medieval ceramics includes the richest series of medieval ceramic basins, used as decorative elements on the external walls of Pisan churches.

Examples of twelfth and thirteenth century painting in Pisa include the cycle of the Painted Crosses, the works of Berlinghiero Berlinghieri; Giunta di Capitano, known as Pisano; works belonging to the Tedice family and to the Maestro of San Martino, all originating from the oldest churches of the town. Underlining the extremely important function of the miniature is the Bible of the Monastery of San Martino, commonly known as the Bible of Calci.

Pisan sculpture from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries is represented by Simone Martinis beautiful polyptych, originally from the church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria d'Egypt; Tino da Camainos Nativity; Madonna del Latte by Andrea and Nino Pisano. Noteworthy are also certain works in wood by Francesco di Valdambrino and Agostino di Giovanni.

The fourteenth and fifteenth century painting is represented by works of Francesco di Traino; Lippo Menni, Buonamico Buffalmacco, who is also responsible for the famous fresco cycle in the Camposanto (cemetery); Spinello Aretino; Teddeo di Bartolo and other great painters of the era, while more specifically related to the fourteenth century are works by even better known artists such as Masaccio with his St Paul; Gentile da Fabriano; Giovanni da Fiesole, better known as Beato Angelico; Benozzo di Lese, known as Benozzo Gozzoli; and Domenico Ghirlandaio. Furthermore, glazed earthenware from the Della Robbia school are on display in this section, as well as Donatellos exceptional reliquary bust San Lussorio.

Useful information

Telephone: +39 050 541865
Fax: +39 050 500099
Open: Tuesday-Saturday 9:00am to 19:00pm, Sunday 9:00am-14:00pm
Closed: Every Monday, 1st January, 1st May, 25 December
Disabled: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.

Links

Information Website

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