medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Pat McIntosh-Spinnler <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>How regional is this motif?
you are right, it is not at all confined to Champagne, nor even Northern
France : many examples (mostly in stone) survive from most all regions of
France --which means that it was probably universal.
the best survey of them i know of is :
William H. Forsyth, _The entombment of Christ: French sculptures of the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries_. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University
Press, 1970. xx, 216 p. 273 illus., map.
however, i believe that the region around Troyes leads the pack in terms of
the quantity and quality of surviving examples, and there are studies
particular to that region.
>Is there any likelihood that this kind of plastic representation arose from
the mystery plays?
i regret to say that i have not actually read the Forsyth book (only sold
copies of it from time to time, looking each one over), which i'm sure treats
whatever linkages there might have been between the sculptural examples and
such things as liturgy, late medieval piety, etc.
somewhere i've seen something about "tableaux" --motionless biblical "scenes"
"enacted" by living folks; but i can't remember where.
the Troyean Entombments (and other contemporary sculpture) are quite
astonishingly "realistic" (i.e., "naturalistic").
the one in Chaource is in a crypt, which is only partly underground, rather
well lit by a window or two.
one goes down a straight and narrow stairway, at the bottom of which the
Entombment on the other side of the room can be seen.
it is more or less life-size, and with plenty of surviving polychromy.
the hapless visitor enters the doorway at the foot of the stairs and then
"senses" that someone is standing behind him.
sure enough, there are two soldiers (with spears) guarding on each side and
the doorway.
life size and quite naturalistically painted.
gives one quite a start.
a person can even bump his head, jumping back in the small space.
that's been known to happen, believe me.
and the memory of it doesn't fade much after 30+ years.
>Christ is usually depicted in a loincloth, Mary and John in 'Biblical' dress,
but everyone else is in rich contemporary clothing.
mmmmm.... well, Jesus is dressed for his role (and, therefore, is in both
"Period Costume" and "Contemporary Dress") ; but i don't recall Mary & John
being dressed differently from the other members of the cast.
seems like everyone is in "contemporary" (i.e., early 16th c.) dress.
>I realise this is the convention of the time
yes, the same can be seen in contemporary paintings --though we are right at
the period when Italian influence came North, and the Italians had been into
reproducing "antique" costume for some time (Mantegna, etc.).
>but is it the convention because that's how it looked on the cart at Easter?
i wouldn't be surprised at all if there were some connection between these
tableaux and Easter liturgies, plays, etc., but i know nothing about it
directly.
check out Forsyth.
best from here,
christopher
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