Art History Final Part II and III

Question 1

Answer 1

• Gelduinus.
• Christ in Majesty
• Relief in the ambulatory of Saint-Sernin, France
• 1096
• Romanesque

1. marble
2. 4 ft. 2 in. high
3. one of the earliest series of large Romanesque figure reliefs
4. decorated the pilgrimage church of St. Sernin
5. the revival of stone sculpture is a sign of the Romanesque age
6. four evangalists around him, sybolize the 4 gospel books

Question 1

Answer 1

• Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-Sur-Gartempe
• Poitu, France
• 1060 - 1115
• Romanesque

1. The barrel vaulted nave is supported on magnificently-scaled column with foliate capitals.
2. Ideally made for paintings

Question 3

Answer 3

• St. Matthew the Evangelist, Coronation Gospels
• Germany
• Early 9th Century
• Carolingian

1. A bible
2. Saint Matthew writinghis text
3. Artist attempting to make the figure of him look realistic: NATURALISTIC
4. M wearing the long robes = Christian art
5. M is modeled with light and shadow, and also for spacial reasoning
6. Lacks in realism with the sky and the ground; doesn’t show atmosphere or landscape
7. upper body is a little too unrealistic, proportions are not correct
8. Very functional and readily reproduced
9. Most educated people are here at this time

Question 3

Answer 3

• Otto III Enthroned, Gospel Book of Otto III
• Reichenau, Germany
• 997 - 1000
• Ottonian

1. Ink, gold, paint on parchment
2. He is flanked by representatives of the clergy on the left and lay figures holding swords on the right. The layout of the image is clearly based on the tradition of imperial images that go back to Antiquity. Like the Missorium of Theodosius discussed earlier, Otto III is placed frontally in the center of the image. Through the use of hierarchic scaling the flanking figures are clearly subordinated to Otto. We see the figures on either side of Otto as representing the major division in Medieval society between regnum and sacerdotium or the secular authority of the state and the religious authority of the church. The figure of Otto III is approached on the facing page by four personifications signifying the different lands of “Sclavinia, Germania, Gallia, Roma.” The homage shown by the crowned personfications offering gifts to the enthroned Otto III visually echoes the imagery of the Adoration of the Magi. The act of homage shown here reflects the importance of homage in the political life of this period. Alliances were not institutional as much as personal. In feudal society it was critical that a vassal demonstrated his loyalty to his lord through the act of homage.
3. Central position
4. Flat

Question 4

Answer 4

• Cross-inscribed Carpet Page, Lindisfarne Gospels
• Northumbria, England
• 715 - 720
• Hiberno-Saxon

1. Illuminated Manuscript
2. The tooled leather book binding of the St Cuthbert Gospel represents a simple carpet page in another medium,[6] and the few surviving treasure bindings - metalwork book covers
3. the pattern on the book is known as a “carpet page”
4. Beautiful, intricate interlacing
5. the bright colors are to make it beauiful, to make it appear “glowing” show with power
6. Made in respece and for God
7. Carpet pages are wholly devoted to ornamentation with brilliant colors, active lines, and complex patterns of interlace. They are normally symmetrical, or very nearly so, about both a horizontal and vertical axis, though for example the page at right is only symmetrical about a vertical axis.
8. Mythical creatures embedded (hidden) through the designs and combines the creatures if you look really close.

Question 4

Answer 4

• Gero Crucifix
• Cologne Cathedral, Germany
• 970
• Ottonian

1. Wood, wood carving, painted and gilded
2. called an “altar piece”
3. suspended
4. shows a degree of natrualism, only a little bit
5. Called a crucifix
6. Given a beard
7. more successful attempt at naturalism
8. 6 feet tall

Question 6

Answer 6

• Tower of Babel
• Abbey Church, Poitu, France
• 1115
• Romanesque

1. Painting
2. The fresco cycle in the vault of the monastery church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe narrates stories from the Old Testament in a rather confusing sequence. When establishing the narrative composition, priority was given to the arrangement of narrative events rather than to the continuous narrative flow. Thus, popular subjects, such as the building of the Tower of Babel, were made to stand out in spectacular fashion.

The scene depicting the building of the Tower of Babel even turns into a kind of visual instruction in the state of the medieval building trade: the rough-hewn ashlar blocks are carried along on men’s shoulders. Holding an angle-iron in his right hand, we see an architect standing on the tower, about to take up a stone which somebody is handing to him. A mason in the foreground is taking mortar out of a bucket. next to the bucket there is a cable which used to pull up the container. Then, suddenly, God the Father makes his appearance in order to punish the worker’s actions with the confusion of tongues.

Question 7

Answer 7

• Christ Enthroned, Flanked by Angels, Saint Vialis, and Bishop Eccelsius
• San Vitale
• Ravenna
• c. 547
• Byzantium

1. Located in the halfdome of the sanctuary apse in the San Vitale in ravenna, a very large mosaic is still standing. Used for the celebration of the Eucharist, we can interperet the image and show the details of what it is showing. We can see Christ in the sitting on a throne middle with a sphere around his head to represent his throne in heaven. He is shown wearing purple and gold, which are used to show royalty, and to show Christ is a king. The Halo with a cross inscribed is there to show that he is the most high saint, and the cross is covered with pearls. On either side of Christ are two angels, with their representative names above them, but they are there to serve as an intermediary between Christ and the mortals. On our right is Ecclesius, founder of San Vitale, holding up a model of his church as an offering to Christ. The angel to the left of Christ is Eccelisius, and Christ is extending his right hand out to hand over a crown of martyrdom, for whom the church was named after.

Question 7

Answer 7

• Empress Theodora and Her Attendants
• San Vitale
• Ravenna
• c. 547
• Byzantium

1. Mosaic, 8’ 8” x 12’
2. similar to Justinian
3. they are about to enter the church, possible narthex
4. Women are being excorted by men
5. Architecture in the mosaic
6. Bowl is for the wine for the Eucharist
7. On Theodora’s robes are the three wise men who were giving gifts for Jesus, pearls on her were though to protect the wearer from disease

Question 8

Answer 8

• Reliquary Statue of St. Foy
• Abbey Church Conques, France
• Late 9th or 10th Century
• Romanesque

1. Silver gilt over a wood core with gems
2. 33”
3. Saints’ relics were regarded as the most valuable religious artefacts, and it was only appropriate to house them in the most magnificent of reliquaries. The reliquary at the Abbey of Sainte Foy in Conques is the last surviving example of an enthroned statue reliquary. This style of reliquary was common prior to the Romanesque period. The wooden core of Sainte Foy’s reliquary is gilded with gold, and studded with different gems and enamels. The head is made up of a different gold from the body and is thought to have been a reworking of an earlier Roman statue. The throne, filigree, bands and crown were all added during the eleventh century. It continued to be embellished with other jewels until as late as the fifteenth century. Sainte Foy’s reliquary is a particularly good example of the continuing process of medieval artworks. The true treasure, however, was the child’s skull contained within this golden house, for it held miraculous powers bestowed by God. The custom was for pilgrims to circle the statue three times in hopes of gaining the saint’s protection.

Question 9

Answer 9

• Otto I Presenting Magdeburg Cathedral to Christ, from altar or pulpit of Magdeburg Cathedral
• Magdeburg, Germany
• 962 - 968
• Ottonian

1. Established as an important mission center by Emperor Otto the Great (r. 936–73), the new Cathedral of Magdeburg, west of modern Berlin, was dedicated in 968. On this ivory, Otto presents a symbolic model of the church to Christ for his blessing. As a humble servant, Otto is depicted smaller than the company of patron saints. The military Saint Mauritius, patron saint of the Ottonian empire and of Magdeburg, is shown behind Otto, presenting him to Christ. This panel and sixteen others illustrating the story of Christ’s life were once part of a major piece of furnishing made for the cathedral, such as a pulpit, choir doors, or an altar. Following a fire in the 1000s, the set was dismantled and individual panels were used on reliquaries and book covers.
2. shows Otto as a very devout Christian, also glorifies a leader

Question 10

Answer 10

• Bronze doors (Genesis and Life of Christ) of St. Michael’s
• Hildesheim, Germany
• 1015
• Ottonian

1. Bronze, 16’ 6” tall
2. Inspiration from the Romans
3. New; a lage object cast in bronze
4. Handles are lion heads
5. Images were relevant to those who saw them
6. No genitals are included
7. Narrative, all about the cycle of life so far, which includes the birth of Christ

Question 11

Answer 11

• Reims Cathedral
• France
• 1211 - 1286
• Gothic

1. The three portals are laden with statues and statuettes; among European cathedrals, only Chartres has more sculpted figures. The central portal, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is surmounted by a rose window framed in an arch itself decorated with statuary, in place of the usual sculptured tympanum. The “gallery of the kings” above shows the baptism of Clovis in the centre flanked by statues of his successors.
2. It comprises a nave with aisles, transepts with aisles, a choir with double aisles, and an apse with ambulatory and radiating chapels. It has interesting stained glass ranging from the 13th to the 20th century. The rose window over the main portal and the gallery beneath are of rare magnificence.

Question 12

Answer 12

• Equestrian Statue of Charles the Bald
• Metz, France
• 9th century
• Carolingian

1. Bronze, standing 9 1/2”
2. Believed to be Charles the Bald
3. Horseback shows a noble appearace, leader
4. orb = his empire
5. Artist influenced by Roman Prototypes
6. shows that they are rightful hiers to the empire
7. the art MUST communicate that he is the power leader
8. attempted to bring back natrualism

Question 12

Answer 12

• Prophets and Ancestors of Christ, Royal Portal
• West Facade, Chartres Cathedral, France
• 1145 - 1155
• Gothic

1. These figures are among the first in the series and date from 1178 to about 1180. The almost sculptural gravity of the rendering of the draped bodies conveys an imposing presence. Equally impressive is the degree of psychological animation expressed in each unique character, while the group retains an overall feeling of substance and poise. The figures are complemented by a limited but rich palette and by broad and elaborately patterned borders. Depicted are the Old Testament patriarchs who represent the generations of humankind, from the Creation to the coming of Christ, underscoring the medieval Christian belief that Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled in Christ. The series originally included eighty-five ancestor figures, based primarily on the genealogy in the gospel of Luke (3:23–38). As a group, these figures symbolize the history and the continuity of the Christian faith in very human terms, as a sequence of fathers and sons.
   2.

Question 13

Answer 13

• Emperor Justinian and His Attendants
• San Vitale
• Ravenna
• c. 547
• Byzantium

1. Mosaic
2. 8’ 8” x 12’
3. Justinian shown in the process of holding and presenting a gold bowl which will hold the bread for the ceremony of communion
4. 12 attendants, showing similarity to Christ
5. Ceremony of the Eucharist are the items
6. Highly Stilized
7. Military is not from the immediate area, but still show loyalty to Justinian

Question 14

Answer 14

• God Accusing Adam and Eve, detail from Doors of St. Michael’s
• Hildesheim, Germany
• 1015
• Ottonian

1. Narrative; god is accusing adam, adam is looking at eve, and eve is pointing at the devil
2. no genitals are included
3. As usual in medieval art, the figures are not individualized, but repeat a few stylised types. They have the disproportionately large, oval faces which are characteristic of Pre-Romanesque sculpture. Their very large, almond-shaped eyes sit in flat sockets with sharply delineated eyebrows. The hair is composed of parallel strands from a central parting. Nevertheless, the facial expressions of some figures are very individuated and match the figures’ gestures. Especially relevant in this respect is the figure of Cain who looks up to the Hand of God in heaven with fearful, terror-stricken eyes and pulls his cloak tight around his body.

Question 16

Answer 16

• Plan for a Monastery at St. Gall
• Switzerland
• c. 817
• Carolingian

1. Red ink on parchment, 28” x 44 1/8”
2. Created for a Monastery
3. Under Carolingian, the monasteries were going to follow a set design
4. Made sure that it could be self sufficient, through buildings, and how the church should be organized
5. it STANDARDIZED the design for the Monastery
6. fully funtional
7. unintentional prototype of a university
8. CENTER OF LEARNING, used for all education purposes, main center of learning in this time

Question 18

Answer 18

• Crucifixion with Angels and Mouring Figures, cover of Lindau Gospels
• Switzerland
• 870
• Carolingian

1. Gold, it is beaten to make the figure. It was pushed out, handcrafted…NOT molded
2. pearls, gems precious stones
3. 13” x 10”
4. gems are raised so that the light can get underneath the jewels
5. People are greiving
6. a rendering of Christ, not a naturalistic or realistic view
7. elaborate halo
8. two figures above Christ represent the sun and moon/ life and death
9. NOT NATURALISTIC

Question 19

Answer 19

• St. Michael’s
• Hildesheim, Germany
• 1001 - 1031
• Ottonian

1. Designed by Bishop Bernward
2. built to be part of a monastery
3. very “blocky” or clarity, easy to piece together
4. entrances on the long end, (not seen since Roman)
5. High altar placed in the east wing, lower in the left = sunrise and sunset, or Life and Death
6. Towers are clarity of form
7. Large margular unit
8. Use of mathematical proportion
9. rhythmic quality
10. St. Michael’s Church is one of the most important churches of early Christian period Architecture . It is a double-choir basilica with two transepts and a square tower at each crossing. The west choir is emphasized by an ambulatory and a crypt. The ground plan of the building follows a geometrical conception, in which the square of the transept crossing in the ground plan constitutes the key measuring unit for the entire church. The square units are defined by the alternation of columns and piers

Question 20

Answer 20

• Chartres Cathedral
• France
• 1134 - 1260
• Gothic

1. Chartres Cathedral is a medieval Catholic cathedral of the Latin Church located in Chartres, France, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) southwest of Paris. It is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture
2. t is important to remember that the builders were not working on a clean site but would have had to clear back the rubble and surviving parts of the old church as they built the new. Nevertheless, work progressed rapidly. The south porch with most of its sculpture was installed by 1210, and by 1215 the north porch had been completed and the western rose installed.[18] The nave high vaults were erected in the 1220s, the canons moved into their new stalls in 1221 under a temporary roof at the level of the clerestory, and the transept roses were erected over the subsequent two decades. The high vaults over the choir were not built until the last years of the 1250s, as was rediscovered in the first decade of the 21st century.[19]

Question 21

Answer 21

• Virgin and child and Angels Window
• Chartres Cathedral, France
• 1170
• Gothic

1. Mary is seated on a throne, her feet resting on a footstool, covered with a rug. She is dressed in a garment of a bright, luminous blue. Her head, surrounded by a blue nimbus bordered with pearls, is surmounted by a rich crown. A white veil falls in folds on either side of her head. Her hands rest on the shoulders of her Son, who is seated on her knees. A cruciform nimbus is around his head. His right hand is raised in blessing. In his left hand he holds an open book where we read the words:
   Omnis vallis implebitur (“Every valley shall be filled.”) It is a prophecy of the Incarnation found in Isaiah’s 40:4 and recalled by John the Baptist in Luke 3:5.
2. his window is located on the south side of the Cathedral, at the entrance to the choir, in bay 14. It consists of twenty-four segments
   3.

Question 22

Answer 22

• Hinged Clasp
• England
• 1st half 7th century
• Art of the Warrior Lords

1. Favored small, portable objects
2. Gold plaques with granulations and inlays of garnet and checked millefiori glass, measuring 5”
3. Clasp for armor for a king or leader
4. precious gold
5. Craftsmanship was involved,
6. CLOISONNE METALWORK - metalwork where you take sheets of metal and make them into little outlines and place the melted glass within
7. gold is an outline for the glass
8. based on something from the natrual world, or a geometric patern, abstraction used throughout
9. Fantasy Creatures is the style
10. Gold border is a prequal to illumination manuscripts
11. Interlacing - overlapping forms
12. Boars represents strength and bravery

Question 24

Answer 24

• Bishop Odo blessing the Feast, The Bayeux Embroidery
• Norman-Anglo-Saxon, England
• 1066 - 1082
• Romanesque

1. Linen with wool embroidery, 20”
2. This scene is part of the Bayeux Tapestry, which is a misnomer as it is a 200+ foot long embroidery rather than woven tapestry. Its main purpose is to depict the story of the three-way battle of power in England, and justify the conquest by William the Conqueror for Normandy. This scene uses distortion to get all of the information onto the cloth because there cannot be overlapping figures in embroidery. Perspective is also distorted, shown with the frontal view of a table, but also a top view with the soldiers eating off of their shields. Latin is employed to narrate each scene, which was unusual because it was not a common language at that time. The Bayeux Tapestry is noted for its details of the horror of war which suggests the artist had personally been in battle. Its purpose was to show that William got the throne legitimately through battle and the grace of God, as it was common to commission art to construct a view of the world favorable to the commissioner.

Question 25

Answer 25

• Gislebertus (?)
• The Last Judgement, Tympanum of St. Lazare
• Autun, France
• 1120 - 1145
• Romanesque

1. Relief
2. Zodiac signs surround the arch vault with Christ in the center portrayed as a serene figure. Christ is placed in perfect symmetrical position with a balanced composition of elongated figures. Jesus is flanked by his mother, the Virgin Mary and his apostles cast as penitents and observers of the last judgment. St. Peter guards the gate to heaven and looks on as resurrected individuals attempt to squeeze in with the assistance of the angels.[17]

Gislebertus successfully integrated the modern view of heaven and hell and created a sculpture that would act as a visual educational device for individuals that were illiterate. Viewing the tympanum would allow pilgrim’s to know what would happen to them if they were to end up in hell.[18] Two men near the centre of the lintel carry bags bearing a cross and a seashell. These are the symbols of pilgrims that travelled from Jerusalem to Santiago de Compostela.

The tympanum would have inspired terror in believers that passed beneath it and viewed the detailed high relief sculpture. The bottom of the tympanum underneath the weighing of the souls has an inscription that states, “May this terror terrify those whom earthly error binds for the horror of the images here in this manner truly depicts what will be”.

The tympanum is framed by two archivolts. The inner one has carved foliage while the outer archivolt consists of magnificently detailed medallions representing the four seasons, zodiacs, and labors of the months.

Question 26

Answer 26

• Virgin and Child
• Auvergne, France
• Late 12th century
• Romanesque

1. Oak with polychromy
2. 31”
3. This type of sculpture, with the Christ Child seated in the Virgin’s lap in a frontal pose, is known as a Sedes Sapientiae (Throne of Wisdom). These seemingly straightforward images convey complex theological ideas. Christ, as the Son of God, is Wisdom incarnate. Mary, who carried Christ in her womb and who holds him on her lap serves as his seat, or throne. Christ would have grasped a Bible, a further representation of the divine wisdom that he himself embodies.

From the 1100s, Mary was increasingly revered as a nurturing, merciful intercessor. Such statues were used as devotional objects, and were carried in church processions. This image might have also functioned as a container for holy relics, since it has a cavity located behind the Virgin’s shoulder.

Question 27

Answer 27

• Royal Portal, West Facade
• Chartres Cathedral, France
• 1145 - 1155
• Gothic

1. The matter has been discussed for nearly a century, but arguments, whether based on style, analogy or archaeology, have proved inconclusive.
2. The logic of the portal design clearly connects these jamb figures to the figures above, clearly defining the Divine source of Royal power in the image of Christ in Majesty. These jamb figures also serve for us entering the church as intermediaries to the figures above. This thus places us in relationship to this hierarchy of power descending from Christ above to the symbols of earthly kingship below

Question 28

Answer 28

• Sainte-Chapelle
• Paris, France
• 1243 - 1248
• Gothic

1. The royal chapel is a prime example of the phase of Gothic architectural style called “Rayonnant”, marked by its sense of weightlessness and strong vertical emphasis. It stands squarely upon a lower chapel, which served as parish church for all the inhabitants of the palace, which was the seat of government
2. The Sainte-Chapelle’s most obvious architectural precursors include the apsidal chapels of Amiens Cathedral, which it resembles in its general form, and the Bishop’s Chapel (c.1180’s) of Noyon Cathedral, from which it borrowed the two-story design. As has often been argued however the major influence on its overall design seems to have come from contemporary metalwork, particularly the precious shrines and reliquaries made by Mosan goldsmiths.[8]
3. The most famous features of the chapel, among the finest of their type in the world, are the great stained glass windows, for whose benefit the stone wall surface is reduced to little more than a delicate framework. Fifteen huge mid-13th-century windows fill the nave and apse, while a large rose window with Flamboyant tracery (added to the upper chapel c.1490) dominates the western wall.

Question 29

Answer 29

• San Vitale
• Ravenna
• c. 520 - 547
• Byzantium
• Located in France, the Chartres Cathedral was built as a Martyrium, and was built to honor the emperor Justinian as Christ’s second on the Earth, but was dedicated to San vitale, who was believed to be the Christian bishop of Ravenna in the early century. The Church was made of a durable material, and punctuated with windows, and appeared to look circular, but was shaped as an octagon Looking at the exterior, it appears to be a three-story building, but in actuality was an undulationg, two-story exedrae open floor plan. The interior had many arches, and the walls were covered in marble and mosaics, with a floor plan similar to a naive in a basilica. The church was built with a goal to make it so beautiful that it would appear to be a heavenly relm.

Question 30

Answer 30

• Church of Saint-Sernin
• Toulouse, France
• 1070 - 1120
• Romanesque

1. The abbey of St. Sernin was an ancient foundation. St. Sylvius, bishop of Toulouse, began construction of the basilica towards the end of the 4th century.
2. The walls in this section are built of brick and stone, with a higher proportion of stone than elsewhere in the building. As construction proceeded, it was clearly marked by an increasing proportion of brick, the characteristic building material of Toulouse.
3. The building is in the form of a crucifix. The ceilings are vaulted, unlike many of the earlier churches. St. Sernin’s contains radiating chapels which were used to display important relics. Another deviation from the earlier Christian churches is the addition of an ambulatory, a walkway that goes around the nave and side aisles to allow for viewing of the radiating chapels (which could be done while mass was being held without interrupting the ceremony). For these and other reasons, St. Sernin’s is often said to follow the “pilgrimage plan” instead of the traditional basilica plan.
4. The interior of the basilica measures 115 x 64 x 21 meters, making it vast for a Romanesque church. The central nave is barrel vaulted; the four aisles have rib vaults and are supported by buttresses. Directly under the tower and the transept is a marble altar, consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096 and designed by Bernard Gelduin.

Question 31

Answer 31

• St. Matthew Writing His Gospel Book, Lindisarne Gospels
• Northumbria, England
• 715-720
• Hiberno-Saxon

1. Ink of tempera on vellum
2. Lindisfarne Gospel refers to the four books in the New Testiment
3. Shows Matthew writing his gospel book, shown as a seated wise man which means it isa rendering of the earlier seated philosopher
4. this culture likes to work with imagery
5. long robes associated with Christians
6. Halo = he’s holy
7. Man behind curtain possibly Moses, whos book is closed which represents the old testiment
8. Angel is an attribute; one of the four evangelists
9. Writing means “in the image of man” and “Old Holy Matthew”
   10.

Question 32

Answer 32

• Abbey Church of Saint Denis
• France
• 1140 - 1144
• Gothic

1. The basilica became a place of pilgrimage and the burial place of the French kings, with nearly every king from the 10th to the 18th centuries being buried there, as well as many from previous centuries.
2. The Basilica of St Denis ranks as an architectural landmark—as the first major structure of which a substantial part was designed and built in the Gothic style.[7] Both stylistically and structurally, it heralded the change from Romanesque architecture to Gothic architecture. Before the term “Gothic” came into common use, it was known as the “French Style” (Opus Francigenum).

As it now stands, the church is a large cruciform building of “basilica” form; that is, it has a central nave with lower aisles and clerestory windows. It has an additional aisle on the northern side formed of a row of chapels. The west front has three portals, a rose window and one tower, on the southern side. The eastern end, which is built over a crypt, is apsidal, surrounded by an ambulatory and a chevet of nine radiating chapels. The basilica retains stained glass of many periods (although most of the panels from Suger’s time have been removed for long-term conservation and replaced with photographic transparencies), including exceptional modern glass, and a set of twelve misericords

Question 33

Answer 33

• Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels
• Mount Sinai, Egypt
• 2nd half of the 6th century
• Byzantium

1. Encaustic on wood (painted on wood)
2. 27” x 18 7/8”
3. Considered sacred, and because of the people on it and images on it, people would pray to it.
4. not a rendering form the gospel books
5. symbolic scene showing that Christ will become the lord, by being seated on his mothers lap. this means she is very important as well
6. not a narrative
7. Two Saints who are Christian martyers and military men: Geroge and Theodore (who slayed dragons)
8. artist shows styization, showing hints at a bodily form beneath clothing
9. Throne, clothes, symbolism

Question 34

Answer 34

• Annunciation and Visitation, Central Portal
• Reims Cathedral, France
• 1230 - 1255
• Gothic

1. Isolated example
2. not the same artist for each sculpture - can tell specifically by the folds
3. reference to the classical - controposto
4. couple on the right have better proportions
5. angel on the left has the zig zag characteristic
6. The Reims Cathedral is a prime example of the High Gothic style in sculpture. The statues and reliefs of the west facade celebrate the Virgin Mary. Within this area is located a piece called the Annunciation and Visitation. It is also the place I would like to put most of my focus. The Visitation piece on the right contains both Mary and Saint Elizabeth. Both statues have a resemblance of Roman portriats. The reasons as to why Saint Elizabeth would be a part of Mary’s story, would be because of her role during this time period as well. Having received the miracle of conceiving a baby at her old age, she was meant to bare John the Baptist. He is important due to his role of preparing the way of Christ. To the left, the Annuciation contains the angle Gabriel, bringing the news to Mary that she has been chosen to bare the Son of God. The Gothic statues are astonishing approximations of the Classical naturalistic style and incorporate contrapposto postures. There is a great rhythm of movement felt when looking upon these statues as there is the swaying of hips, knees are bent, and arms are set in motion. These jamb statues are actors in a biblical narrative. The storys that are being told are ones that influenced greatly the christian church. The stories narrated are ones that speak of miraculous accounts, consistent and necessary for the building up of the church. The roles played by the Virgin Mary, along with Saint Elizabeth, and the angle Gabriel are clearly illustrated, and beautifully rendered. Religiously there is a connection needing to be made by the viewer, in that they recognize the importance of these particular figures, and remember why it was they they should be honored and looked upon with great respect.

Question 35

Answer 35

• Saint Theodore
• Jamb statue, south transept, Chartres Cathedral, France
• 1145 - 1155
• Gothic

1. Contropposto of the figure
2. More and more naturalistic
3. Across the portal are Saints Stephen, Clement and Lawrence, equally individual in their stature, facial expressions, poses and attributes. And on the outer end here there is a fourth figure, Saint Theodore, who is portrayed as ≥an ideal Christian knight…clothed in the cloak and chain-mail armor of Gothic Crusaders. The handsome long-haired youth holds his spear firmly in his right hand and rests his left hand on his shield. He turns his head to the left and swings out his hip to the right