1000 Scupltures of Genius. Patrick Bade

South portal with animal columns, St Mary and St David Church, Kilpeck (United Kingdom), c. 1140. In situ. Roman.

      220. Anonymous. Capital, crypt, Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury (United Kingdom), 1100–1120. In situ. Roman.

      221. Anonymous. The Suffering of Job, capital of the cloister, Pamplona Cathedral, Pamplona (Spain) c. 1145. Museo de Navarra, Pamplona (Spain). Roman.

      222. Anonymous. Capital Adorned with Figures, St. Servatius Collegiate Church, Quedlinburg (Germany), c. 1129. In situ. Roman.

      223. Anonymous. Harpies facing Each Other, double capitals, c. 1140–1145. Limestone, 26.1 × 41.2 × 30 cm. Musée national du Moyen Age – Thermes et hôtel de Cluny, Paris (France). Roman.

      224. Anonymous. Double Capital, cloister, Santo Domingo Monastery, Silos (Spain), middle of the 12th century. In situ. Roman.

      225. Anonymous. Holy Woman, 1125–1150. Pear tree wood with traces of paint, h: 133 cm. Musée national du Moyen Age – Thermes et hôtel de Cluny, Paris (France). Roman.

      226. Anonymous. Enthroned Virgin and Child, 1130–1140. Birch, paint and glass, h: 102.9 cm. The Cloisters, New York (United States). Roman.

      227. Anonymous. Madonna with Child from Rarogne, c. 1150. Lime wood and paint, h: 90 cm. Musée national suisse, Zürich (Switzerland). Roman.

      228. Anonymous. Enthroned Virgin and Child, 1150–1200. Walnut with gesso, paint, tin leaf and traces of linen, h: 68.6 cm. The Cloisters, New York (United States). Roman.

      229. Anonymous. Madonna with Child, called Notre-Dame-la-Brune, Saint-Philibert Abbey Church, Tournus (France). Wood partially gilded and traces of polychromy, h: 73 cm. In situ. Roman.

      230. Anonymous. Head of a Prophet, west facade, Saint-Denis Abbey Church, Saint-Denis (France) c. 1137–1140. Stone, h: 41 cm. Musée national du Moyen Age – Thermes et hôtel de Cluny, Paris (France). Roman.

      231. Anonymous. Head of an Old Testament Queen (Saba), west facade, Saint-Denis Abbey Church, Saint-Denis (France), c. 1137–1140. Limestone, h: 36.5 cm. Musée national du Moyen Age – Thermes et hôtel de Cluny, Paris (France). Roman.

      232. Anonymous. The Coronation of the Virgin, central portal of the northern transept, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Chartres (France), c. 1145–1155. In situ. Gothic.

      233. Anonymous. Royal Gate, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Chartres (France), c. 1145–1155. In situ. Gothic.

      The central portal of the west facade at Chartres Cathedral demonstrates the changes in sculpture that mark the transition from the Romanesque to the Early Gothic period. While Romanesque sculpted portals featured an intimidating figure of Christ in Majesty, presiding over the Last Judgment, Early Gothic portals showed a gentler Christ. Here, Christ is shown in majesty, but he is a more human figure, with a softer, more rounded body. The composition is simpler, focused on Christ. The symbols of the four Evangelists fill the rest of the space. The result is a simple image that induces contemplation, as opposed to the elaborate narratives and complex renderings of souls in torment seen on the earlier portals.

      234. Anonymous. Tympanon, Sainte-Anne portal, west facade, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris (France), before 1148. In situ. Gothic.

      235. Anonymous. Three Kings and One Queen of the Old Testament, jamb figures, right side wall of the west portal called “Royal Gate”, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Chartres (France), c. 1145–1155. In situ. 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.

      236. Anonymous. The Descent from the Cross, corner pillar of the cloister, Santo Domingo Monastery, Silos (Spain), middle of the 12th century.In situ. Roman.

      237. Anonymous. Entombment, corner pillar of the cloister, Santo Domingo Monastery, Silos (Spain), middle of the 12th century. In situ. Roman.

      238. Anonymous. Christ and the Pilgrims of Emmaus, corner pillar of the cloister, Santo Domingo Monastery, Silos (Spain), middle of the 12th century. In situ. Roman.

      239. Anonymous. Doubting Thomas, corner pillar of the cloister, Santo Domingo Monastery, Silos (Spain), middle of the 12th century. In situ. Roman.

      240. Anonymous. Crucifix, c. 1150–1200. Christ: white oak and pine with polychromy, gilding and applied stones; cross: red pine, polychromy, 259 × 207.6 cm. The Cloisters, New York (United States). Gothic.

      241. Anonymous. Christ in Majesty on the Cross called Batlló Majesty, La Garrotxa (Spain), second half of the 12th century. Woodcarving with polychromy in tempera, Christ: 94 × 96 × 17 cm; cross: 156 × 120 × 4 cm. Gift of Enric Batlló, Museo Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona (Spain). Roman.

      242. Anonymous. Crucifixion, second half of the 12th century. Wood with traces of paint, h: 181 cm. Musée national du Moyen Age – Thermes et hôtel de Cluny, Paris (France). Roman.