Seeking Truth and Bearing Witness: The Noli Me Tangere and Incredulity of Thomas on Tino di Camaino’s Petroni Tomb (1313–1317)

Abstract

This article examines Tino di Camaino’s monument for Cardinal Riccardo Petroni, focusing on the narrative cycle of relief panels on the tomb casket. The reliefs are shown to function in a complex and reiterative manner, speaking to the hope for personal resurrection and reunion with God at the end of time, as well as to the salvific potential of a well-lived, well-balanced life of devotion and professional achievement. It is proposed that this relatively uncelebrated monument mediates between what Panosfky described as “prospective” early Christian and medieval tomb sculpture and the more “retrospective” Renaissance tombs. This article also explores the meaning of the pendant panels of the Noli Me Tangere and Incredulity of Thomas and proposes new theories about sources of inspiration for the artist, the possible interests of the deceased in the question of bodily Resurrection, and his devotion to Saint Mary Magdalene.