Agriculture

The construction of the bell tower of the Florence Cathedral began in 1334 by the plans of Giotto di Bondone (1267–1337). After Giotto’s death, Andrea Pisano began to direct the work. The façade of the lower part of the tower is decorated by twenty-six hexagonal and twenty-eight rhombic marble reliefs in two rows, including the hexagonal relief allegorising agriculture. Attributed to Andrea Pisano, the carving, which depicts a farmer plowing with two oxen, is one of the reliefs depicting arts and crafts that are found on the east side of the bell tower. Commissioned by the museum in 1909, the cast was made by Giuseppe Lelli in Florence. It was exhibited in the Romanesque Hall in 1910.