Set of six limestone altarpiece or rood screen fragments car - Lot 6

Lot n° 6
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5000 - 7000 EUR
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Result : 9 000EUR
Set of six limestone altarpiece or rood screen fragments car - Lot 6
Set of six limestone altarpiece or rood screen fragments carved in high relief with polychrome remains, part of a group representing the Arrest of Christ, the Crucifixion, the Entombment and the Descent into Hell. Normandy, late 13th or 14th century H. 47 cm - 36 cm - 27 cm - 38 cm - 28 cm and 26 cm (Fragment, accidents and missing parts) These fragments are the last remaining evidence of a monumental work, probably an altarpiece or chancel rail, whose carved decoration represented the heart of the Christian mystery: the Death and Resurrection of Christ. Among the preserved scenes is a woman emerging from the mouth of a monster. This striking iconographic formula is based on an article of the Creed and a verse from St. Peter's first letter: "Christ went to proclaim his message to those who were prisoners of death". (1P3, 19). It's Adam, or perhaps Eve, emerging from the mouth of hell, hands clasped in supplication. Medieval imagery, from the 9th century onwards in the Anglo-Saxon domain, gives the gateway to Hell the appearance of a hybrid creature's head: the Hellmouth. This iconography was still present in the Gothic period, but gradually disappeared at the end of the Middle Ages. The fragments we are presenting here probably come from the Normandy region, and clearly reflect the English influences characteristic of this type of religious representation. Book consulted: J. Gonzalez, "Etude iconographique de la gueule d'enfer au Moyen age. Origines et symboliques : iconographie et sources textuelles"; PhD thesis from the University of Pau, under the supervision of J.-P. Barraque and J. Leclercq-Marx, defended March 16, 2015.
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