Final answer:
The male figure in Nicola Pisano's Pulpit at Pisa Baptistery represents the Greek mythological hero Herakles, known for his strength and depicted similarly in classical sculptures like those by Lysippos. The iconography of Herakles wearing a lion's skin reflects the classical influence on Christian art, suggesting virtues like fortitude.
Step-by-step explanation:
The male figure with a lion cub on his shoulder and a lion skin over his arm in Nicola Pisano's Pulpit at Pisa Baptistery is a representation of the Greek mythological hero Herakles (Hercules). This iconography is well established in classical sculpture and remains influential. In Greco-Roman mythology, Herakles is known for his incredible strength and for completing the Twelve Labors, one of which was slaying the Nemean Lion and wearing its skin as protection. Similar to Pisano's depiction, the statue of Hercules by Lysippos, Alexander the Great's official sculptor, shows a stately and muscular Hercules, leaning on his club after having killed a lion. The figure represents physical strength, a hero's endurance, and the human pursuit of overcoming challenges through strength and will.
In the context of Christian art, figures of strength like Herakles can serve as moral exemplars of the virtue of fortitude, one of the cardinal virtues, providing a pagano-Christian syncretism that reinforces Christian messages through familiar classical symbolism. Thus, the figure in Pisano's pulpit may serve multiple interpretative roles but is rooted primarily in classical iconography of Herakles, well-recognized by an audience familiar with ancient heroes and their symbolism. The influence of classical art on Renaissance artists like Michelangelo further solidifies the importance of this iconography, as seen in his heroic classical male bodies, suggesting a continuation of preferential classical aesthetics.