UGOLINO di VIERI di UGOLINO. - Sienese goldsmith, d. between 1380 and 1385; he was trained in the art by his father, together with his brothers Luca and Domenico, themselves also goldsmiths.

Mentioned for the first time in a document of 1329. Between 1337 and 1338, with the help of Viva di Lando and Bartolomeo di Tommè known as Pizzino, both Sienese, he made the reliquary of the Most Holy Corporal that is preserved in the cathedral of Orvieto. It is entirely in silver (height 1.39 m, width m. 0.63, weighing over a hundredweight), with two three-cusped façades that vaguely draw inspiration from the façade of Orvieto Cathedral, with tall pinnacles between the tympana, of which the central one is surmounted by a cross: statuettes adorn the base and the tops of the pinnacles and gables. The concave base and the two façades are historiated with panels executed in the technique of translucent enamel: they represent scenes from the life and Passion of Christ and a complete illustration of the miracle of Bolsena and the events of the Most Holy Corporal. It also bears two inscriptions, one of which contains the name of the artist. In Orvieto Cathedral, coming from S. Giovenale, another reliquary is preserved, of gilded copper, in the form of a hexagonal tempietto with silver and enamel plaques, to contain the head of St. Savinus: it bears on the crowning of the dome an inscription with the signature of U. and of Viva. A chalice signed by the same is in the church of S. Domenico in Perugia. Other goldsmith's works are attributed to U., among them the admirable silver reliquary with enamels coming from the abbey of S. Galgano and now preserved in the parish church of Frosini (Siena); a rock-crystal cup with enamels illustrating the legend of Tristan and Iseult in the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan and an enamel plaque with the Nativity in the British Museum. - See pl. LXXI.

Plate LXXI THE RELIQUARY OF THE MOST HOLY CORPORAL, by Ugolino di Vieri and assistants (1338). Left: the recto. From top and from left to right, stories relating to the Miracle: 1) Miracle of Bolsena; 2) Urban IV priest; 3) Urban IV bishop; 4) The bishop at Bolsena; 5) The bishop goes toward Orvieto; 6) The Pope goes to meet the Corporal; 7) exposition of the Corporal; 8) Urban IV and St. Thomas. In the last band the stories of Christ which continue then on the verso: 1) entry of Jesus into Jerusalem; 2) Last Supper; 3) Washing; 4) Discourse. Right: the verso. From bottom and from left to right: 1) Centemani; 2) capture of Christ; 3) meeting with Anna; 4) Caiaphas; 5) in the Praetorium; 6) before Brode; 7) again in the Praetorium; 8) Ecce Homo; 9) ascent to Calvary; 10) Crucifixion; 11) Deposition; 12) Resurrection - Orvieto, Cathedral.(fol. Alinari)

Plate LXXI THE RELIQUARY OF THE MOST HOLY CORPORAL, by Ugolino di Vieri and assistants (1338). Left: the recto. From top and from left to right, stories relating to the Miracle: 1) Miracle of Bolsena; 2) Urban IV priest; 3) Urban IV bishop; 4) The bishop at Bolsena; 5) The bishop goes toward Orvieto; 6) The Pope goes to meet the Corporal; 7) exposition of the Corporal; 8) Urban IV and St. Thomas. In the last band the stories of Christ which continue then on the verso: 1) entry of Jesus into Jerusalem; 2) Last Supper; 3) Washing; 4) Discourse. Right: the verso. From bottom and from left to right: 1) Centemani; 2) capture of Christ; 3) meeting with Anna; 4) Caiaphas; 5) in the Praetorium; 6) before Brode; 7) again in the Praetorium; 8) Ecce Homo; 9) ascent to Calvary; 10) Crucifixion; 11) Deposition; 12) Resurrection - Orvieto, Cathedral.(fol. Alinari)

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: G. Milanesi, Docum. per la storia dell'arte senese, I, Siena 1854, p. 57 ff.; Venturi, IV (1906), p. 937 ff.; I. Mechetti, Orafi senesi, in La Diana, 4 (1929), pp. 17-43; P. Toesca, Il Trecento, Torino 1951, pp. 894-97.

Enzo Carli

@incollection{ec12_ugolino_di_vieri_di_ugolino, author = {Carli, Enzo}, title = {Ugolino di Vieri di Ugolino}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {714--715}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/ugolino-di-vieri-di-ugolino} }

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