Pulpit
Cathedral of St. Lawrence, Trogir, Croatia

The octagonal pulpit dates from the second half of the 13th century. It was carved by local Dalmatian artists. The eight columns are of different material which range from local limestone (from Brac and Seget) to Greek marble probably taken from the nearby Palace of Diocletian in Split. The capitals in local limestone, richly carved with plant and animal motifs, are still covered by several layers of gilding (of different epochs), which has flaked here and there. It was blackened and in a poor state of preservation. From the capitals spring eight semi-circular arches on which rests a large architrave adorned with gilded leaves. Above the architrave the second order of the pulpit rises, consists of a blind balustrade ornamented by double colonnettes with elegant capitals carved and gilded with plant motifs. The small arches resting on the colonnettes are in the marble known as Verde Antico or Verde Tessalonico; in this case too, the marble comes from the Palace of Diocletian. The side of the pulpit facing the nave, where the faithful sat, is characterized by the presence of a lioness (of the type that usually bears a column) that rests on an architrave and supports a colonnette whose capital carries a lectern for the liturgical lessons. The interior of the pulpit’s vault is articulated by eight ribs that converge in a keystone carved with plant forms. The intermediate fields are composed of parallel stripes of marbles white and grey-green whose colour was no longer distinguishable because of the thick film of black smoke that covered them.
Before restoration, the entire monument was covered with a thick layer of black sediment, which made it impossible to discern the texture and colour of the different marbles.