Origin unknown.
Wood.
German(?),
Renaissance(?).
Location unknown.
H 6 1/4 in., L 28 in.
Metropolitan Catalogue Cast no. 1851.
Cast Location: Robinson B359 hallway

Acorns, thistles, roses, and holly are entwined in a scroll motif on this relief. The presence of thistle, symbol of Scotland, and rose, symbol of England, may suggest British rather than German origin.


~Lucy R. Miller

]]>
Origin unknown.
Stone.
Twelfth century Romanesque(?).
Location unknown.
H 35 in., W 79 inches.
Not in Metropolitan cast catalogue.
Cast Location: Concert Hall Lobby

A clustered row of stone colonnette capitals, probably from the facade of a church. This decorative detail, consisting of birds, animals, and humans entwined or hanging among leafy tendrils right-side-up and upside-down would have originally flanked one of the portals of a church. Architectural details like these served not only as decoration but also to demonstrate the designer's knowledge of classical styles of architecture. It was seen as a mark of prestige to have such details incorporated into a structure, and it showed a level of mastery of that which had once been considered pagan. Furthermore, artists had the opportunity to be creative with a wide range of designs and subject matter. The subjects incorporated in these designs range from generic to pagan to Christian.

~Nathan Barber


]]>
Origin unknown.
Stone.
Perhaps twelfth or thirteenth century European.
Location unknown.
H 15 in., maximum W 21 in.
Not in Metropolitan cast catalogue.

This is a characteristically Romanesque design, inventive and lively. Heads at the corners of the capital are equipped with arms that entwine with vines and scrolls. On the right-hand corner of the abacus is an inscription, so far unidentified.]]>
Origin unknown.
Stone.
French(?), early Gothic.
Location unknown.
H 38 in., W 28 in., D 18 in.
Not in Metropolitan cast catalogue.
Anonymous gift to GMU at Sotheby's New York, February 28, 2006.
Cast Location: Krasnow Bldg

Figures such as these representing Christian subjects that were used to ornament the door jambs of churches are a common Gothic feature, as are the intricate architectural details surrounding the figures. The scene here is the Annunciation, in which the angel Gabriel visits the Virgin Mary to tell her that she will be the mother of Jesus Christ. Gabriel is at the left, speaking to Mary at the right. The head of God the Father is between them, and the Holy Spirit descends towards Mary in the form of a dove.

~Anna Jones


]]>
Bibliography

Figure. 44. Figure. No. 44 before cleaning.]]>
Wood.
1437-1521 CE.
St. Maclou, Rouen.
Metropolitan Catalogue: Casts no. 2103.
Purchased for GMU at Sotheby's New York, February 28, 2006.
Cast Location: Johnson Ctr 2nd floor

These two reliefs are from the left door of the west façade of the Gothic church of St. Maclou. The reliefs date to 1540-1541; the rest of this door dates to about 1555-1560. Carved wooden panels like this ornament the five doors on the western side of the church. The panels are carved in the Late Gothic, or Flamboyant, style. This style is characterized by highly decorative architecture and was the last phase of Gothic architecture before the Renaissance. All the door panels of the church are attributed to sculptor Jean Goujon (c. 1510-c. 1568), and they are considered to be his earliest works. b. 77 in. x 48 in. A decorative rectangular frame contains an equally intricate circular frame, within which shepherds and kings appear to be in conversation, while other shepherds watch and tend their sheep in a circular woven fence. One figure at the right appears to be falling off the fence. Cherubs or winds appear within each corner of the larger frame. A bottom panel, unframed, contains four draped male figures in high relief, standing in various positions, three of them bearded, but the second one from the left now missing his head. Between these four figures, in the background, stand three more figures, carved in lower relief. The one in the center is a bearded male, those at the sides are women. These figures all stand on an architectural base, like a mantelpiece, supported by decorated brackets with female faces in between.

~ Lucy R. Miller, Anna Jones and Tina Delis


]]>
Bibliography

See Ian Robertson, Blue Guide: France (New York, 1984), 118. Figure. 43b. Fig. 43 b being cleaned.]]>
Wood.
1437-1521 CE.
St. Maclou, Rouen.
Metropolitan Catalogue: Casts no. 2103.
Purchased for GMU at Sotheby's New York, February 28, 2006.
Cast Location: Art and Design Building 2nd floor

These two reliefs are from the left door of the west façade of the Gothic church of St. Maclou. The reliefs date to 1540-1541; the rest of this door dates to about 1555-1560. Carved wooden panels like this ornament the five doors on the western side of the church. The panels are carved in the Late Gothic, or Flamboyant, style. This style is characterized by highly decorative architecture and was the last phase of Gothic architecture before the Renaissance. All the door panels of the church are attributed to sculptor Jean Goujon (c. 1510-c. 1568), and they are considered to be his earliest works. a. 57 x 75 in. An overall geometric design consisting of squares and circles encloses an abundance of intricate pastoral imagery. The central panel shows a farmer working in a wooded area with a castle in the background. Among the numerous figures framing the panel are half-women, bulls, moon-shaped male profile heads, garlands, and two youths holding drapery. Within the top border, a shepherd herds his animals in a wooded setting, and two children hold bouquets of flowers, fruits, and leaves.

~ Lucy R. Miller,  Anna Jones and Tina Delis


]]>
Bibliography

Figure. Fig. Detail of no. 43a before cleaning. See Ian Robertson, Blue Guide: France (New York, 1984), 118.]]>
Notre-Dame-du-Port, Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France.
Sandstone.
13th century.
Notre-Dame-du-Port.
L 63 in., maximum H 31 in., minimum H 16 in.
Metropolitan Catalogue: Cast no. 1449.
Purchased for GMU at Sotheby's New York, February 28, 2006.

Notre-Dame-du-Port is a basilica that was first built during the 7th century. The church is in the region of the Auvergne in central France. This is a section of the lower right side of the triangular portion of this oddly shaped composite tympanum over the south entrance to the Romanesque cathedral of Notre-Dame du Port. For his baptism, Christ is immersed to the waist in stylized water. A kneeling angel to the right holds his clothes, and a now-headless John the Baptist to the left holds onto Christ's arm. On the actual tympanum, two other scenes from Christ’s early life are carved on the triangular portion, to the left of this one– the Adoration of the Magi on the left, and the presentation of Christ in the temple at the center. In the semicircular portion of the tympanum, Christ in Majesty is enthroned above the three scenes from his life. A descriptive inscription surrounds the entire frame of the triangular pediment. The tympanum was painted, and some paint remains on the original, including a blue background. Much of the damage done to the tympanum occurred during the French Revolution.

~Anna Jones


]]>
Bibliography

See Ian Robertson, Blue Guide: France (New York, 1984), 544. Figure. 42. Fig. 42 before cleaning. Fig. Notre-Dame du Port, two-part tympanum. Image by Kristobalite, flickr.com, 2008.]]>
Location unknown.
Stone.
Norman (?)
H 16 1/4 in.
Not in Metropolitan cast catalogue.

The bat's spread wings fill the triangular space called the spandrel above the curve of a stone arch.]]>
St. Nicholas parish church
Barfreston, eastern Kent, England.
Stone.
Norman, later 12th century CE.
Barfreston. 33 x 50 in.
Metropolitan Catalogue: Cast no. 1544.

St. Nicholas parish church in Barfreston, Kent, was a stopping-place for pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. The artists of Kent were well aware of what their counterparts were doing to decorate churches in western France. However, the scenes of Medieval life, the creatures, and the religious symbols above this doorway are unique to Kent. This ornately decorated parish church has perhaps the finest assortment of Norman carvings in England. The archway from which this plaster cast was taken is located above the south door of the church. In the center of the tympanum, Christ sits within a mandorla, his right hand raised in a sign of peaceful blessing, his left holding a scroll, probably representing the Bible. To either side of him, along the ground-line, are mermaids, a griffin, and a sphinx, all entwined in foliage. Above them are various torsos and crowned heads surrounded by vines, and, at the top there are angels with scrolls. Above the mandorla is a leafy molding, then one with a bishop's head at the center and medallions to either side showing various creatures, some of them playing musical instruments. At the top, the widest band shows signs of the zodiac and the labors of the months.

~ John L. Gardner and Tina Delis


]]>
Bibliography

See www.barfreston.org.uk; and David Ross, "Barfreston, St. Nicholas Church," www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=3309#heritage.]]>