Weekend tips: Giovanni di Balduccio’s virtues at Sant’Eustorgio, Milan

 

The Cappela Portinari, the core of the “Basilica di Sant’Eustorgio” in Milan, hosts a few interesting pieces of art. The “Arca di San Pietro Martire”, placed at the centre of the chapel, is the masterpiece by sculptor and architect Giovanni Balduccio da Pisa. Dating between 1336 and 1339, the Arca was commissioned by the Dominican friars to preserve the relics of their brother Pietro Rosini, who was martyred in 1252. It consists of a rich sarcophagus in white marble from Carrara, supported by eight pillar in red marble from Verona, on which as much statues representing the seven Theological and Moral Virtues lean, from the left-side you find Justice, Temperance, Fortitude and Prudence; on the back side Obedience – considered a virtue by the Dominicans order – then Hope, Faith and Charity. The statues are elegant and refined, with a particular care typical of Balduccio. We found that the beauty of the Arca lies indeed in these elegant sculptures, that Balduccio has managed to carve in such a natural, yet refined manner.

 

According to us, there is no better way to approach them if not by starting from the texts in which virtues are described. While the three theological virtues are mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13), the moral ones have been addressed by the most influential scholars, starting from Plato to Thomas Aquinas. It is however a passage from this latter’s Summa Theologica that we report here below as the perfect introduction to read before meeting these charming seven/eight ladies.

 

 

Justice has a righteousness of its own by which it puts those outward things right which come into human use, and are the proper matter of justice, as we shall show further on. But the righteousness which denotes order to a due end and to the Divine law, which is the rule of the human will, as stated above, is common to all virtues.

One can make bad use of a virtue objectively, for instance by having evil thoughts about a virtue, e.g. by hating it, or by being proud of it: but one cannot make bad use of virtue as principle of action, so that an act of virtue be evil.

Infused virtue is caused in us by God without any action on our part, but not without our consent. This is the sense of the words, “which God works in us without us.” As to those things which are done by us, God causes them in us, yet not without action on our part, for He works in every will and in every nature.

 

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part I-II, Treatise on habits (qq. 49-54)

 

December 20, 2014