Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/763

 WOOD- CARVING

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WOOD-CARVING

Originally the entire art of the Germans was expressed by work in wood; the churches were built almost entirely of wood, consequently, it may be assumed that most of the fittings of a churcl> were of the same material. The adornment of the surfaces, which was produced by tooled work, consisted of figures of animals and interlaced geometrical designs in most peculiar interweavings and turnings. However, almost nothing remains, of all the perishable objects of the early period, the chairs, coffers, and doors, with the exception of the small reading-desk of St. Rade- gunde (d. 587) at Poitiers, and the delicately carved door belonging to St. Bertoldo at Parma. This door is probably of Lombard origin; the characteristic German carving and work in geometrical de-sign on the frame and panels make it a very beautiful piece of art. Such carving in low-relief, as shown on the only well- preserved chest of this era in the cathedral at Terra- cina in Italy, was common throughout the entire early medieval period. This is evidenced from the two wings of a folding-door of the eleventh century in the cathedral of Puy, one of which bears the legend: "Godfredur me fecit " (cf. Haupt, "Die iilteste Kunst der Germanen", Leipzig, 1909). The statues of saints and of the Virgin carved from wood, and the carved wooden images of the Saviour, have almost entirely disappeared, owing to the decay of time and the change of taste. Among those that have been preserved is the celebrated "Volto santo di Lucca", a crucified Christ clad in a tunic with sleeves that belongs to the eighth century, also a similar carving of the crucifixion at Emmerich, Prussia, a work of the year 1000. In addition, there are several representa- tions in wood of the JMadonna, that, however, can scarcely be included among artistic carved work, as they are entirely covered with plates of gold, a circum- stance to which they owe their j^reservation. Such Madonnas may be found, for example, at Essen and Hildesheim in Prussia. Wooden seats, such as were used to a limited extent in the churches during the early medieval period, are only kno^\-n from miniatures in the manuscripts and from sculpture in stone. These show that they generally were made of rounded post s, ribs, and boards which were seldom ornamented by carvings. Seats of this sort were retained in Romanesque art domi to the twelfth century. A very unusual example of a pew made of turned round timber, belonging to the twelfth century, is to be found in the Museum of Industrial Art at Christiania. Strictly speaking it is turner-and-joiner-work.

Apparently during the entire Romanesque period low-rehef was the prevailing method used in wood- carving. Examples of this are the superb framework surrounding the doors in Norwegian churches, as at Flail and .\al, the scroU-work borders on the choir- stall and wooden reUquarj' belonging to the former monastery of Lokkum (1244) in Hanover, a few small wooden coffers in various collections, as at Cologne and Vienna, and .several chairs in the musemn at Christiania. .\long with this work in low-relief, however, carvings in higher relief began to appear towards the close of the Romanesque period, as, for instance, the doors of the Chiirch of Maria im Kapitol at Cologne an<l the doors of the cathedral of Spoleto. These latter doors, which were finished by Andrea Guvina in 1214, are the greatest achievement of Romanesque wood-car\'ing ; the reliefs are five centi- metres high and arc ornamented with twenty-eight scenes from the life of Christ. Notwithstanding a few excellent productions, wood-car\ing experienced, in general, no decided development during the Romanesque period. The rea.son of this was partly the preference of the period for coloured effects, which led to the covering of statues with glittering gold and to the painting of reliquaries .and ehe.sts, partly in the methods of the joiner work of the period. Cabinets and coffers were not formed of frame.<5 and panels and

joined together by rabbets and mitres, but were made of heavy boards roughly put together. Consequently it was necessary to hold the boards together by iron mountings, which excluded fine carved work. The custom of ornamenting the wooden reliquaries not with carved work but with paintings also prevailed in the East, as evidenced by the reliquaries found a short time ago in the treasurj' S.ancta Sanctorum at Rome (cf. Grisar, " Sancta Sancto- rum", Freiburg, 1908).

If, as already said, it is impos- sible to WTite a continuous history of wood - carving down to the close of the twelfth cen- tury, on account of the lack of re- mains, still we are justified in assum- ing that wood- carving was of- tener used for the ornamentation of churches and church furniture during the Ro- manesque period than it is possible to-day to prove. For the execution of such monumental ta.sks as large church doors pre- supposes great practical experience. Thus, at the opening of the Gothic period, wood-carving had reached such a state of development after hundreds of years, that it was able to cope with the many tasks assigned to it, so that we may justly call it a great era of wood-carving. The Gothic period added to the former needs of the Church in carved wood, such as seats, desks, and doors, many new require- ments, above all those which had not been possible before the art of carving had fully dex'eloped, such as carved altars and choir-stalls, while the demand for statuary carved from wood naturalh' continued. Starting with those pieces of furniture that make the smallest demands upon the carver and are generally produced by a carpenter, we will sfieak first of cabi- nets or cupboards and coffers. The still existing specimens of these that have come down from the early Gothic era belong almost exchisively to the church, consequently the ornamentation is taken in most instances from architecture, as crockets, tracery, and battlements. In addition carved fohage and figures are found, especially on the doors and the top- pieces. Mention should be made of a sacristy cup- board at Wernigerode, Pru.ssia, that is ornamented with carved ma.sks and animals, and a cupboard ornamented with a grape-vine in low relief in the Arena Chapel at Padua. The coffers are generally made of two upright boards as supports, and two or three long boards stn-tched between; the ornamenta- tion is generally only on the front. The ends are frequently decorated with single figures, the long side with pointed arches under which stand knights or saints; at a later date the front was al.so decorated with representations of various scenes. A large and widely scattered group of coffers, which apparently come from Flanders and are generally to be found in England, show on the front St. George's battle with the dragon .and the freeing of the king's daughter. England has, indeed, the greatest treasure in church coffers lying neglected in the cathedrals. Mention should be made of the fourteenth-century coffers at Saltwood, Oxford (church of Magdalen College),.