The Age of Pilgrims and Crusaders
Part Two-Sculpture




The revival of stonecarving is one of the hallmarks of the
Romanesque age.
Individual Romanesque sculptural motifs and compositions
often originated in Carolingian and Ottonian ivory carving,
metalwork, and manuscript illumination. But Roman
sculptures throughout France, Italy, Germany, and Spain
provided a powerful spur to the imaginations of
Romanesque patrons and artists alike.
The increased attendance in churches of a largely illiterate
lay public, including pilgrims, led to a resurgence of
architectural sculpture.
Monumental stone sculptures carved in relief were placed
around the entrances of churches.
2
Christ in Majesty with apostles, lintel over doorway, Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines, France, 1019–20. Marble,
approx. 2' X 7'.

A carved lintel over the doorway at the church of Saint-Génisdes-Fontaines revives the forgotten art of monumental stone
relief sculpture.
3




The beginnings of a revived tradition of stonecarving can
be seen in the carved capitals of northern Romanesque
churches.
The most extensive preserved ensemble of sculptured
early Romanesque capitals is found in the cloister of
Saint-Pierre at Moissac in southwestern France.
The Romanesque period also witnessed the spread of a
sculpture to other areas of the church, both inside and
out.
With the rise of towns in the Romanesque period,
churches, especially those on the major pilgrimage routes,
increasingly served the lay public.
4

The sharply incised lines and
ornamentation of the marble
relief of Christ in Majesty is
characteristic of
pre-Romanesque metalwork.
Bernardus Gelduinus, Christ in Majesty, relief in the ambulatory
of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France, ca. 1096. Marble, 4' 2" high.
5

The high relief
carving of the
figures in the
frieze at Modena
breaks through
the arcaded
frame format to
produce a more
continuous
narrative.
Wiligelmo, Creation
and Temptation of
Adam and Eve,
frieze on the west façade,
Modena Cathedral,
Modena, Italy, ca. 1110.
Marble, approx. 3' high.
6

The tympanum at Moissac exhibits a distinctive style of Romanesque
sculpture characterized by figures with elongated bodies and
draperies decorated with zigzag and dovetail lines.
7
Christ in Majesty with angels and the
Twenty-Four Elders, tympanum of the
south portal of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, France,
ca. 1115–1135. Marble, approx. 16' 6" wide
at base.

Next: Slide: The scalloped
trumeau at Moissac shows
an elongated, cross-legged
figure accompanied by
roaring lions.
8
Old Testament prophet
(Jeremiah or Isaiah?), from
the trumeau of the south
portal of Saint-Pierre,
Moissac, France, ca. 1115–
1130. Marble, approx. life
size.
9
The medieval church
cloister expresses the
seclusion of the
contemplative, spiritual life.
The capitals
of piers and
columns were
carved with
figural reliefs.
Cloister of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, France, ca. 1100–1115.
Marble, piers approx. 6' high.
10
Cloister of
Saint-Guilhem -leDtombtextholdereacute;
sert, before 1206 Limestone;
30 ft. 3 in. x 23 ft. 10 in.
The Cloisters Collection
The abbey became an
important site on the
pilgrimage roads that ran
through France to the holy
shrine of Santiago de
Compostela in Spain.
11

The tympanum at Autun shows figures carved in relief with expressive
facial expressions and gestures.
12
Gislebertus, Last Judgment, west tympanum of Saint-Lazare, Autun, France, ca.
1120–1135. Marble, approx. 21' wide at base.
13
Ascension of Christ and Mission of the Apostles, tympanum of the center portal of
the narthex of La Madeleine, Vézelay, France, 1120–1132.
The tympanum at Vézelay shows elongated, angular figures with agitated
poses. Drapery patterns are linear with zigzags, loops and whorls. 14
Ste. Madeleine, Vezelay, France. 1120-32.
Capital sculpture: demon and woman
15
Vezelay, Capital sculpture: mystic winepress
16

The portal of SaintTrophîme resembles a
Roman arch.
Portal on the west façade of Saint-Trophîme,
Arles, France, second third of the 12th century.
17
Detail, Portal on the west façade of
Saint-Trophîme, Arles, France,
second third of the 12th century.
18

The revival of
monumental stone
sculpture in Italy shows a
classical sensibility rooted
in Greco-Roman art.
Benedetto Antelami,
King David, statue in a niche on the west façade of
Fidenza Cathedral, Fidenza, Italy, ca. 1180–1190. Marble,
approx. life size.
19
BENEDETTO ANTELAMI, Isiah, statue in a niche
on the west facade of Fidenza Cathedral, Fidenza, Italy,
ca. 1180-1190. Marble, approx. life-size.
20




The golden age of the metalwork of the church is the
Romanesque period (1050-1250).
The characteristic which distinguishes the Romanesque
period from the older works is their large size; most
noticeable in the reliquaries which grew in the Romanesque
period into large shrines, for the transport of which three or
four men were necessary.
Several new varieties of metalwork also were added to the
old, especially the aquamanile,, used for washing the hands,
and the metal structures placed upon the altar assumed new
forms.
These changes are in part due to the evolution of the liturgy
as both candlestick and cross found a place upon the altar.
21

Rainer of Huy's
bronze
baptismal font
shows a
Classicizing style
with idealized
bodies and faces
and heavy
clinging drapery.
Rainier of Huy, Baptism of
Christ, baptismal font from
Notre-Dame-des-Fonts, Liège,
Belgium, 1107–1118. Bronze,
25" high. Saint-Barthélémy,
Liège.
22


A reliquary of Saint
Eustace is a life-size
idealized head.
Fragments of the skull
were put in the image of
the saint.
Reliquary of St. Eustace,
Basil, Switzerland, c. 1210 AD, British Museum.
23

The soft modeling of the faces
of the Virgin Mary and the
Christ Child on a wooden
reliquary lends the figures a
human warmth and intimacy.
Virgin and Child (Morgan Madonna), from Auvergne,
France, 12th century. Painted wood, 31" high.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
24


Romanesque painting shows considerable regional
and stylistic diversity.
Artists continued the practice of painting murals
on the walls and ceilings of churches.
25


In the apse fresco from Santa
María de Mur, the figures are
posed in formal frontality.
Drapery is partitioned into
volumes arranged in irregular
geometric patterns.
Christ in Majesty, apse fresco from Santa María de
Mur, near Lérida, Spain, mid-12th century. 22' X 24'.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
26
Christ in Majesty, Church of San
Clemente, Lérida, Spain, fresco,
ca. 1123
27

Sant'Angelo in Formis, near Capua, Italy, ca. 1085.
The fresco
above the
nave arcade
at
Sant'Angel
o in Formis
shows fully
modeled
figures, a
threedimensional
architectural
setting, and a
natural blue
sky.
28
Nave of the abbey church, Saint-Savinsur-Gartempe, France. Painted barrel
vault, ca. 1100.
29

The paintings in the vault of the nave of Saint-Savin-surGartempe show elongated, agitated cross-legged figures.
30

Gestures and
draperies simulate
movement in this
example from the
Apocalypse of
Saint-Sever.
John Receives his
Revelation
The Apocalypse of SaintSever, Bibliothèque nationale
(Paris, France), fol. 26v
31

A facsimile of a lost
folio shows Hildegard
of Bingen's vision.
The vision of Hildegard of Bingen,
facsimile of a lost folio in the Scivias by
Hildegard of Bingen, from Trier or
Bingen, Germany, ca. 1050–1079.
Formerly in Hessische
Landesbibliothek, Wiesbaden.
32


This illumination
shows a colorful
letter R in the form
of two figures
battling a dragon.
The banding of the
torso and
partitioning
of the folds are
typical of the
Romanesque style.
Initial R with knight fighting a
dragon, from the Moralia in
Job,from Citeaux, France, ca.
1115–1125. Ink and tempera
on vellum, 13 3/4" X 9 1/4".
Bibliothèque Municipale, Dijon.
33

Folio 94 recto of the
Bury Bible is an
example of
sumptuous
illustration with
dignified figures
painted in softly
glowing harmonized
colors.
Master Hugo, Moses
expounding the Law, folio 94
recto of the Bury Bible,, ca.
1135. Ink and tempera on
vellum, approx. 20" X 14".
Corpus Christi College,
Cambridge.
34

This self-portrait of
Eadwine the Scribe
shows softly modeled
drapery that follows the
body underneath.
Eadwine the Scribe at work,
283 verso of the Eadwine Paslter, 116070, Ink and tempera on Vellum, Trinity
College, Cambridge.
35

The Bayeux Tapestry, which recalls the historical narratives of
ancient Roman art, shows the linear patterning and flat colour
of the Romanesque style.
36


The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidery that is roughly 20
inches tall and 230 feet long.
It tells the story of the events leading up to and including
the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066.
37







Tympanum
Narthax
Mandorla
Crossings
Ambulatory
Buttress
Gislebertus







Choir
Abbey
Cloister
Cathedra
Campanile
Historiated
pilgrimage
38