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 SCULPTURE

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SCULPTURE

mal fonts, portals, and choir-screens. The centre of German sculpture during this period was in the North, especially in Saxonj-. South Germany and the Rhineland are not poor in works of sculpture, but they are rather of an ieonographic than of historical importance; as, for instance, the reliefs of the SchoUcn- kirche (Scots' Church) at Ratisbon. At the begin- ning of the thirteenth century German sculpture at- tained its first triumph, which was accelerated by Byzantine and French influence. Several important schools flourished at the same time. In place of the traditional types and conventional draperies a lively, naturalistic presentation appears. Sculpture in bronze yields the first place to stone sculpture, and even statuary assumes its proper rank. The portals es- pecially become the scenes of the new plastic decora- tion. In the tympanum the Last Judgement is gen- erally represented; at the sides stand the wise and foolish virgins, the apostles, saints, and donors. The most important school of this period is the Saxon, with sculjitures at Wecliselburg, Freiberg, and Naum- burg; the Prankish School with the rehcfs of the choir- screens and statues in the cathedral of Bamberg, and the Romanesque sculptures of the cathedral of Stras- burg, which in many respects rival the best works of antique art. The sculptures of the remaining Euro- pean countries during this period cannot be compared with the German; next in importance are those of France. Here representations of devils and hobgob- lins occur with remarkable frequency — probably the consequence of the "Diableries", then so popular in the plays. The earliest development in France oc- curred in Provence (Aries, Toulouse), where ancient traditions were followed. The most perfect examples are in Central France, where the sculptures of the cathedrals of Chartres, Le Mans, and Bourges achieve an imposing effect by reason of their solemn dignity and silent repose. In Italy also the clmrch portals are decorated with mythological, legendary, and sym- bolic reliefs, but they lack all naturalness and conse- quently all artistic value. In no other country, how- ever, were there so many artists who f(>lt it necessary to immortalize their names by inscribing them upon their works.

The transition to Gothic sculpture — if, indeed, the expressions Romanesque and Gothic may be applied to sculpture — is not sudden, but very gradual, as is always the case with the appearance of a new ten- dency in art and of all new ideals. As the ideal of the Romanesque sculptors was virility and a dignified naturalness, so the Gothic masters followed an ideal trend, which did not indeed do away immediately with naturalne.ss, but gradually led to the conventionali- zation of figures, anfl a mechanical execution. The principal characteristics of the developed Gothic are that all persons have for the most part a youthful ap- pearance, even though they are aged; their figures are slender and well-formed, with long and smoothly flowing draperies; finally, the countenances have a thoughtful, spiritual, and modest expression. As long as the Gothic sculptors practised moderation in the application of these characteristics, thej' created works of classic beauty; but when the later generations attempted to surpass their predeces.sors, they fell into mannerisms, and created works which to-day seem highly inartistic. We have only to recall many rep- resentations of the Crucified One, which are carica- tures of a human figure. The so-called Gothic pose— the exaggerated bend of the body towards one side and the con.stantly recurring smile, which almost be- comes a grimace, are symptoms of the decline. The demand for Gothic statues was enormous, since archi- tecture ma^le the widest use of them in the decoration of the churches. A thousand statues and other sculp- tures were hardly sufficient for a cathcidral; the cathe- dral of Milan pfjssesses 0000. This necessitated great rapidity of execution, which indeed promoted manual

dexterity, but did not promote artistic conscientious- ness. The innumerable statues should not however, be examined and judged as individual works, but in relation to the buildings for which they were carved. From this point of view our only conclusion can be that it is hardly possible to conceive of anything more imposing than a Gothic cathedral with its wealth of decorative sculptures.

The favourite place for sculptural decorations re- mains the portals, of which there are usually three on the facade of a Gothic cathedral. The sculptures which are here grouped together depict the entire scholastic theology in stone. A favourite subject is the life of our Saviour during His sojourn upon earth. The place of honour on the principal pier of the chief portal is usually given to Our Lady with the Christ Child. The culmination of such theological repre- sentations in stone are the portals of the cathedrals of Paris, Chartres, and Strasburg.

The most perfect development of Gothic sculpture took place in France, where the style origin- ated. The principal scene of this development is Central France, where the cathedrals of Amiens, Chartres, Paris, and Rheims display a large number of most excellent figures, not only on the portals, but covering the facade above the portals (the so- called royal gallery), and even the choir. The sub- jects of these representations are the Saviour of the World and its Supreme Judge, His Most Holy Mother, the apostles, saints, kings, prophets, and sybils, the Virtues and Vices, fables, and the occupa- tions of man during each month of the year. This development began about 1150 at Chartres, and spread from there to St. Denis and Paris, attaining its highest development in the cathedral of Rheims with about 2500 statues, some of which indeed belong to the late Gothic period. The statues of the twelve apostles in the Ste Chapelle in Paris are gems of Gothic sculpture. About the same time (1400) able work was done by the Schools of Burgundy and the Netherlands, the most important monument of which is the tomb of Duke Philip the Bold at Dijon by Claus Sliiter.

In England sculpture has always been a stepchild among the arts. There was practically none during the Romanesque period, and even the early Gothic architecture either completely excluded sculptural representations in its edifices, or else used them only as decorations, as on the keystones and spandrils of the arches and in capitals. The finest examples are at Lincoln, Salisbury, and Westminster. Statuary first appears rather suddenly in southern England, and its most important monuments are at Wells and Exeter. These sculptures are characterized by pleas- ing simplicity, free composition, and dramatic action. A new phase of Gothic sculpture began with the dis- covery of the quarries on Purbeck Island, Dorset- shire, which provided a shell-limestone of warm, pleas- ing colours. The sculptures carved on the island were so numerous that an individual style developed there (1175-1325). At a later period London sup- plied the chief demand of the country for sculpture, which consisted for the most part of sepulchral monu- ments. Deserving of a special mention is the School of the "Alabasters", which for several centuries made use of the rich English quarries of alabaster to carve small and large scnilptures, rather in a mechanical tlian an .artistic fashion. Among the bronze-workers the family of the Tf)rels, active for almost a century in London, is especially noteworthy; of these William Torel in 1291 cast the well-known bronze figures of Queen Eleanor .and Henry III in Westminster Abbey.

During the Gothic epoch Germany produced a great number of sculptural works, but until 1450 there is very little above mediocrity. About that year a new development began which lasted until 1550, and achieved such excellence that it may be termed the