1000 Portraits of Genius. Victoria Charles

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      173. Three Kings and One Queen of the Old Testament, jamb figures, right side of wall of the west portal called “Royal Gate”, 1145–1155. Notre-Dame Cathedral, Chartres. Gothic.

      These still, columnar figures are ranged on either side of each of the three doors of the “Royal Gate” of Chartres Cathedral, as if forming a receiving line, welcoming those who enter the sanctuary. While their elongated proportions and stylised drapery tie them to the sculpture of the Romanesque period (see no. 213), their placement is new. The two churches that revolutionised the Gothic style, Saint-Denis and Chartres, both employed sculpted figures on the columns of the door jambs. These figures do not replace the columns, as did the caryatids of the classical world (see no. 71); instead, they are affixed to the front of the column. Each figure is a king or queen of the Old Testament, and together they give the entryway the name “The Royal Portal”.

      These gentle-looking kings and queens symbolise the base that was the Old Testament, on which Christ and the events of the New Testament would rest.

      174. Recumbent Statues of Richard the Lionheart and Alienor of Aquitaine, early 12th century. Stone. Abbay de Fontevraud, Fontevraud. Romanesque.

      175. Henry the II Plantagenet, c. 1189. Stone. Abbay de Fontevraud, Fontevraud. Romanesque.

      176. The Archangel Gabriel (The Golden-Haired Angel), 12th century. The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg. Romanesque.

      177. Bust of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, c. 1155–1160. Gilt bronze, height: 32 cm. Collegiate Church of Saint Johannes, Cappenberg. Romanesque.

      178. Self-portrait of the Stained Glass Painter Gerlachus, c. 1150–1160. Stained glass. Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History, Münster. Gothic.

      The stained glass window that portrays one of the first self-portraits from the Middle Ages, that of Gerlachus in the Arnstein Cathedral in Germany. The image depicts the master glazer with a beard and moustache in a sky blue coloured coat with a paint brush in his right hand and a bowl of paint in his left. The panel also represents different scenes from the life of Moses using complex glazing and painting techniques. The signature at the bottom of the panel reads: REX REGUM CLARE GERLACHO PROPICIARE which makes the identity of the creator unquestionable. Gerlacho has also been attributed to The Crucifixion stained glass window that was located in the Kaiser Friederich Cathedral in Berlin, which was unfortunately destroyed in 1945. The artist was well known for his use of glazing and pictorial techniques that were both elegant and decorative.

      179. Virgin at the Calvary, 1220–1230. Painted wood, height: 170 cm. Musée national du Moyen Age-Thermes et hôtel de Cluny, Paris. Gothic.

      These large figures were originally part of a group depicting Christ’s descent from the Cross. Early Gothic art displayed more pathos than art of the previous period; the sadness of these figures reflects the human tragedy of the event as well as the divine importance. Virtually life-size and brightly painted, the figures, in their original group, would have lent an intimate immediacy to the Biblical story to anyone viewing the sculptures.

      180. St. John at the Calvary, c. 1220–1230. Painted wood, height: 170 cm. Musée national du Moyen Age-Thermes et hôtel de Cluny, Paris. Gothic.

      181. The Prophet Hosea from the Book of Prophets, c. 1220. Illuminated Manuscript. Weingarten Abbey, Weingarten. Gothic.

      182. God the Father Measures the World from the Vienna Moralized Bible, (Cod. 2554, f 1 r), 1250. Illuminated manuscript. Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna. Gothic.

      183. Our Lady of the Great Panagia, first third of the 13th century. Tempera on lime wood, 193.2 × 120.5 cm. The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Gothic.

      This icon was discovered in 1919 in a warehouse of the Saint-Savior Monastery in Taroslav. Dated from the early twelfth century, it is representative of the Kievan School. Active from the first Christianization of Russian to the Mongol invasion and the sack of Kiev in 1240, the School of Kiev relied at first upon the Byzantine models. But soon, they developed their own style, offering to the faithful a more forgiving and understanding image of the religion. In this way, the Virgin Mary played the main part as an intercessor between men and God.

      184. Madonna di Acuto, c. 1210. Polychrome wood with semi-precious stones, height: 109 cm. Museo di Palazzo di Venezia, Rome. Romanesque.

      185. Holy Elizabeth, second pillar of the northern side of the Saint George’s Chancel, 1225–1237. Bamberg Cathedral, Bamberg. Gothic.

      186. Horseman of the Alter Markt (The Emperor Otto I?), c. 1245–1250. Kulturhistorisches Museum, Magdeburg. Gothic.

      In a dramatic departure from earlier Gothic art, such as the Bamberg Rider (see no. 195), this equestrian statue is entirely free-standing. Not intended to decorate a church, the statue was conceived of as a distinct, separate work of art, set up in the city’s market. Made of stone, it probably depicts King Otto I, the tenth-century Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Ottonian dynasty. Otto I lived in Magdeburg and was buried in the city’s cathedral, and so is closely associated with Magdeburg’s history. In the thirteenth century, when the statue was carved, Magdeburg was still an important city and played a key role in regional trade networks. While it is innovative in its conception as a free-standing sculpture, the horseman lacks the grace and artistry of the Bamberg Rider.

      187. Wistful Apostle, Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, 1241–1248. Stone, height: 165 cm. Musée national du Moyen Age-Thermes et hôtel de Cluny, Paris. Gothic.

      188. Adam (from the south-side of the Notre-Dame transept), c. 1260. Polychrome stone, height: 200 cm. Musée national de Moyen Age-Thermes hôtel de Cluny, Paris (Paris). Gothic.

      189. Pietro Cavallini, c. 1250–1330, Seated Apostles (detail), from The Last Judgement, c. 1290. Fresco, Sta. Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome. Gothic.

      190. Christ Pantocrator, 12th century. Mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. Byzantine.

      191. The Man of Sorrows from the Umbrian Diptych, 1260. Tempera on panel, 32.4 × 22.8 cm. National Gallery, London. Umbrian.

      192. Tomb of Henry the Lion and Mathilda of England. St. Blasius Cathedral, Brauschweig. Gothic.

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