PeriodIndex

Imperial Roman

 

 

Sculpture from the Imperial Roman period.

 

 

 

 

Sarcophagi - Camposanto Pisa

Sarcophagi - Camposanto Pisa

These 2nd and 3rd century Roman sarcophagi in the Camposanto, Pisa, were the inspiration for the beginning of the Italian Renaissance sculpture of the 13th century. In particular the Phaedra Sarcophagus, pictured above, was the model for Nicola Pisano's Madonna, and animal scenes on the pulpit in the cathedral.

Anglo Saxon Sculpture

Ango Saxon sculpture is divided into two main periods, that before the 9th century Danish invasion and that after King Alfred (871-899). The period covers a period from the earliest Christian crosses, and includes stone decorative elements in churches depicting grotesque animals and fiugures intertwined with vine tendrils.

The Anglian Beast and Animal Friezes from Breedon-on-the-Hill

 

Striking animal reliefs, carved around 800 CE, are among the finest surviving examples of Anglo-Saxon sculpture from the Mercian kingdom. They were originally part of the 9th-century monastery at Breedon-on-the-Hill and are now set into the walls of the later Augustinian priory church of St Mary and St Hardulph.

 

 

 

Two Prophets with Leaf-Topped Rods

Two ProphetsThis relief belongs to the important group of Anglo-Saxon sculptures from Breedon-on-the-Hill, dating from the late eighth or early ninth century. Carved in local sandstone and set within a rectangular frame, it depicts two standing male figures rendered in high relief beneath an architectural arch. Both figures are shown in long, pleated garments and hold leaf-topped rods in their right hands, a detail that identifies them not as craftsmen or labourers, but as prophets or inspired teachers.

Hedda stone - Peterborough Cathedral

The Hedda stone, in Peterborough Cathedral, dated to about 870AD. It contains the carved figures of twelve monks, and is thought to represent those killed in Danish raids.

William I Duke of Normandy - Rouen Cathedral.

William I Duke of Normandy - Rouen Cathedral.

This tomb of William I Duke of Normandy (d942) in Rouen Cathedral dates from the 14th century. The earlier burial had been in the ancient sanctuary near the end of what is now the nave.

 

Romanesque sculpture

Romanesque is a term given to architecture and art from 1000 AD  until about 1150 AD when it was succeeded by the Gothic. The term Romanesque was first used by the French antiquarian Charles-Alexis-Adrien de Gerville in a letter to Auguste Le Prévost (1818).

Dunstable Priory

Dunstable Priory

Dunstable Priory, formally the Priory Church of St Peter, was founded c. 1131–1132 by Henry I as a house of Augustinian Canons. Strategically sited at the intersection of two major ancient routes—Watling Street and the Icknield Way—the priory occupied a key position within England’s medieval road network, a factor that profoundly shaped both its prosperity and the development of the surrounding town.

North Portal - Bourges Cathedral

The north portal of Bourges Cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The Tympanum dates from between 1160 and was part of the older church the the Gothic cathedral replaced. This portal suffered a lot of damage during the Wars of Religion in 1562.

Romanesque font - St Margaret Crick

This C12 font has a circular bowl with a bead decoration which is supported by three crouching Atlas figures supporting the red sandstone bowl.

 

 

 

 

Royal Portal - Chartres Cathedral

Royal Portal - Chartres Cathedral

Since its construction in around 1150, the western portal of Chartres Cathedral, decorated with elongated late Romanesque style figures of the Kings and Queens of the Old Testament has been known as the Royal Portal.

 

 

 

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