French Art, Volume 1The renowned art historian Andre Chastel intended his history of art in France from prehistoric times to the nineteenth century to be the crowning achievement of his long and distinguished career. The fruit of ten years of research and writing, this fully documented and erudite study goes beyond conventional art historical analysis to get at the heart of over two millenia of artistic creation. The first volume opens with the artifacts left behind by the earliest inhabitants of the area that forms modern France - prehistoric cave dwellers, Celts, Gallo-Romans, and Merovingians - which are examined in Part I, along with the stunning artistic achievements of Charlemagne and his Carolingian successors. Part II explores the development of monumental Romanesque and Gothic sculpture and architecture, as well as the growing importance of manuscript illumination, ivory carving, and precious metalwork. The late Gothic period is the subject of the last section, which concludes with the highly refined and stylized courtly art of the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries - the final and perfect flowering of the medieval world. A synthesis of the social, economic, political and intellectual conditions of each period covered provides the context for a detailed examination of the works of art and documents featured in the copious illustrations. Chastel's exacting scholarship and lively and accessible style make this monumental and beautifully designed volume an essential reference for art historians and students as well as a superb gift for anyone seeking to comprehend fully the highest artistic achievements of French civilization. |
From inside the book
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Page 128
... builders are identifiable above all by tombstones that display their tools of ruler and compass . Thus Pierre de Montreuil , master builder of Notre - Dame in Paris in 1265 , buried in Saint - Germain - des - Prés in 1267 , was depicted ...
... builders are identifiable above all by tombstones that display their tools of ruler and compass . Thus Pierre de Montreuil , master builder of Notre - Dame in Paris in 1265 , buried in Saint - Germain - des - Prés in 1267 , was depicted ...
Page 129
... builders appear to have been rich and esteemed because , as a sermon dated circa 1261 declared , " in these great edifices , it is customary to have a principal master who executes them with words only , rarely or never lending a hand ...
... builders appear to have been rich and esteemed because , as a sermon dated circa 1261 declared , " in these great edifices , it is customary to have a principal master who executes them with words only , rarely or never lending a hand ...
Page 209
... builders were per- fectly aware of the complexity of the bal- ance of forces at work in Gothic structures , yet did not have the mathematics to assess them accurately . When looking at the admirable sections drawn by Viollet - le- Duc ...
... builders were per- fectly aware of the complexity of the bal- ance of forces at work in Gothic structures , yet did not have the mathematics to assess them accurately . When looking at the admirable sections drawn by Viollet - le- Duc ...
Common terms and phrases
abbey Abbot Abbot Suger altar Amiens Anjou Antiquités Nationales apse arch moldings architectural artistic Avignon basilica became Bibliothèque Municipale Bibliothèque Nationale Bourges building built Burgundy capitals Carolingian carved castle Cathedral Notre-Dame chancel chapel Charles Chartres Chartres Cathedral Christ Christian church circa Cistercian Cluny construction decorative depicted edifice eleventh century enamel example figures France French art gallery Gaul gold Gothic Gothic art images ivory Jean Jean Pucelle king Laon Limoges major manuscript master medieval ment Merovingian meters Middle Ages miniatures monks monumental Musée de Cluny Musée des Antiquités Musée du Louvre nave painting Paris period region Reims Cathedral relics religious reliquary role Roman Romanesque art royal Saint Louis Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire Saint-Denis Saint-Germain-en-Laye Sainte-Chapelle sanctuary scenes sculpture stained glass stained-glass windows statues stone style Suger thirteenth century tion tomb Toulouse Tours towers transept ture tury twelfth century tympanum vaulting Virgin wall West facade