Buscheto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Resting place | Pisa Cathedral |
| Other names | Busketus, \Buschetto, Boschetto, Bruschettus |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Years active | 1063-1110 |
| Buildings | Pisa Cathedral |
Buscheto or Busketus (sometimes also Buschetto or Boschetto, early Latin writers also used Bruschettus,[1] active in Pisa between 1063 and 1110[2]) was an Italian architect. He designed the plans for Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza dei Miracoli) and thus created the distinct Pisan Romanesque design style used throughout the square.[3] Buscheto had unitary vision fusing together architectural ideas of classical Rome, Byzantine, Arab, and Lombard architectures, placing him amongst the best architects of the 11th and 12th centuries.[3]
Very little is known about Buscheto;[3] claims that he was a Greek from Dulichium are based on a misreading of the epitaph. Leopoldo Cicognara had assumed Buscheto's Italian origin based on his name, Leader Scott points that it can be a nickname.[4] Approaches utilized by the architect cannot be explained by local traditions[3] (probably, Pisa did not have its school of architecture before Buscheto[4]).
Just two contemporary documents definitely identify Buscheto, as they are related to the construction of the Pisa cathedral; one is dated December 2nd, 1104, another - April 2nd, 1110. Researchers think that he designed the cathedral and started its construction in 1063 while still being a young man, and continued work on the project into the 1100s.[3]
Epitaphs
An original epitaph on the cathedral reads, "Non habet exemplum niveo de marmore templum. / Quod fit Busketi prorsus ab ingenio" ("there is nothing like a white marble temple / built solely by Buscheto's genius"). During the expansion of the cathedral by architect Rainaldo the tomb was transferred to the new facade (first arch on the left) and a new inscription added, "Quod vix mille boum possent iuga iuncta movere / Et quod vix potuit per mare ferre ratis / Busketi nisu quod erat mirabile visu / Dena puellarum turba levabat onus" ("a thousand oxen could barely move it / and a ship hardly could carry it across the sea / wonderful to see with Buscheto's skill / a group of girls lifting the weight"). A similar epigraph in Rome, now lost, was celebrating some "Buzeta" in very similar words: "Ingenio Buzeta tuo bis quinque puellae / appositis manibus hanc erexere columnam" ("Buzeta's wit, twice the five maidens / erect this pillar by hands"), this suggests identification of Buzeta as Buscheto. [3]
Other identifications
A name of Buscheto also appears in the documents of the cathedral of Pistoia. It is not clear that the two records, dated 1076 and 1078 are referring to the same architect. Other attempts at identification are even more tentative and are based on documents presumed to exist, but no longer traceable.[3]
References
- ↑ Scott 1899, Note 159.
- ↑ Sanpaolesi (1975). "Buscheto or Busketus". A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Oxford Reference.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Barsali 1972.
- 1 2 Scott 1899, p. 209.
Sources
- Scott, Leader (1899). The Cathedral Builders: The Story of a Great Masonic Guild. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
- Barsali, Isa Belli (1972). "Buscheto (Busketus, Buschetto, Boschetto)". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 15. Treccani.
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