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Pleurant
Details
FRANCE, SECONDE MOITIÉ DU XIVE OU DÉBUT DU XVE SIÈCLE
Pleurant
figure d'applique en marbre ; on y joint un support moderne en bois
H. 33,5 cm (13 ¼ in.)
Pleurant
figure d'applique en marbre ; on y joint un support moderne en bois
H. 33,5 cm (13 ¼ in.)
Provenance
Collection particulière, États-Unis.
Literature
Bibliographie comparative :
L. Gonse, Les Chefs-d'oeuvre des musées de France. Sculpture, dessins, objets d'art, 1904, p. 138.
Collections lapidaires du Musée Crozatier du Puy-en-Velay, 1957, p. 319.
R. Gounot, Mobilier et artisanat en Velay. Catalogue des collections du musée Crozatier, Le Puy, 1977, cat. 1424, p. 178.
P. Quarré, Les pleurants dans l'art du Moyen Age en Europe, cat. exp. musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, 3 juillet -12 septembre 1971, Dijon, 1971, cat. 24, p. 33.
F. Baron, Les fastes du gothique : le siècle de Charles V, cat. exp. Grand-Palais, 9 octobre 1981-1er février 1982, Paris, 1981, cat. 103, p. 153.
L. Gonse, Les Chefs-d'oeuvre des musées de France. Sculpture, dessins, objets d'art, 1904, p. 138.
Collections lapidaires du Musée Crozatier du Puy-en-Velay, 1957, p. 319.
R. Gounot, Mobilier et artisanat en Velay. Catalogue des collections du musée Crozatier, Le Puy, 1977, cat. 1424, p. 178.
P. Quarré, Les pleurants dans l'art du Moyen Age en Europe, cat. exp. musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, 3 juillet -12 septembre 1971, Dijon, 1971, cat. 24, p. 33.
F. Baron, Les fastes du gothique : le siècle de Charles V, cat. exp. Grand-Palais, 9 octobre 1981-1er février 1982, Paris, 1981, cat. 103, p. 153.
Further Details
A MARBLE HIGH RELIEF FIGURE OF A MOURNER, FRENCH, SECOND HALF OF 14TH OR EARLY 15TH CENTURY
The figure of the mourner, or 'weeper' as they are known, is one of the most characteristic motifs in late medieval funerary sculpture. These small-scale figures, cloaked and depicted in attitudes of mourning and contemplation, are generally placed in the lower register of tombs, beneath the recumbent effigy, where they form a funerary procession. Developed primarily within princely circles of northwestern Europe, and more specifically in the former Low Countries and Burgundy, this typology appears as early as the beginning of the 14th century before becoming widely disseminated in the later 14th and 15th centuries.
Among the earliest preserved examples is a weeper from the tomb of Otto IV, executed by Pépin de Huy (c.1260-after 1315) between 1311 and 1315 and now in the Musée du Louvre (inv. RF 4301). A comparison between the Louvre sculpture and the present work was initially suggested due to the fact that both are executed in high relief, are of the same size, and in similar marble. Additionally, both are fragmentary, which made this hypothetical reconstruction very promising. However, a direct comparison between the two works has recently been undertaken and reveals substantial differences. The Louvre weeper is rendered in a much flatter relief, in which the figure remains closely bound to the original surface plane in a more rigid conception typical of the early decades of the 14th century. In comparison, our sculpture is treated in much higher relief. In this respect, our figure is executed in a manner that is much closer to that used for the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy and the duc de Berry (1340-1416), which definitively established both the iconography and the principal sculptural formulas of the monumental mourner.
The tombs of Philip the Bold (1342-1404), Duke of Burgundy, and of John the Fearless (1371-1419), his son and successor, are the most famous examples of this tradition. Directed by Claus Sluter (c.1350-1406) and later Claus de Werve (1380-1439), the first of these tombs permanently established the model of the procession of mourners. That of John the Fearless, begun in 1443 by Jean de la Huerta (c.1413-1462) and completed in the 1460s by Antoine Le Moiturier (c.1425-after 1497), continued this model, which also featurs alabaster weepers carved in the round. In contrast, the tomb of John of France, duc de Berry, is distinguished by a different conception, combining marble and alabaster and incorporating figures in part-relief attached to the frieze, which are closer to our work both technically and typologically. In this context, it is worth recalling that certain mourners from the tomb of the duc de Berry, executed by Jean de Cambrai (c.1375–1438) between 1396 and 1416 and formerly in the Denys Cochin collection, now in the Musée du Louvre (inv. RF 2016.3.1 and RF 2016.3.2), are also executed in marble and carved in high-relief. Further comparisons may be drawn with certain weepers attributed to Guillaume de Veluten (active before 1400-before 1445), in particular an example in the Musée du Louvre (inv. CL 19267).
Nevertheless, the execution of the present lot does not allow it to be attributed to any of the sculptors associated with the best-documented princely funerary workshops. The closest comparable work is an isolated mourner of unknown medieval provenance, preserved in the Musée Crozatier in Le Puy-en-Velay (fig. 1, inv. 840.75). As well as sharing an extremely close technical conception, the two sculptures are of nearly identical dimensions (H. 33 cm and 33.5 cm; W. 10 cm and 9.8 cm; D. 6 cm and 6.9 cm). Both are carved in high relief, and their use of marble further distinguishes them from the Burgundian tradition. The stylistic affinity is particularly evident in the treatment of the faces (rounded features, short fleshy nose, downturned mouth, hood falling back and partially covering the eyes at the front, similar collar), as well as in the drapery, especially in the V-shaped lateral folds and the relatively flattened rendering of the arms. Both figures rest on a similar rounded base, from which the feet protrude, while the back is also conceived in an identical manner (flattened back, central rise in the hood, and splayed lateral folds). Finally, similar attachment devices are visible to the reverse and beneath the base in the form of two anchoring holes. Some differences nevertheless remain, inherent to the very logic of mourner series, conceived as sequences of individualized figures. Our example displays a more pronounced contrapposto than that from Le Puy-en-Velay, a more projecting abdomen, and a different hand gesture. These variations do not, however, detract from the strong formal coherence linking the two sculptures, suggesting that they may have belonged to the same monumental ensemble.
As early 1904, when the Le Puy-en-Velay mourner was first discussed in print, Louis Gous emphasized the links between it and the mourners by Jean de Cambrai for the tomb of the duc de Berry, particularly in the way the face is partially concealed by the hood and in the positioning of the hands. This allowed for a dating of the Le Puy-en-Velay weeper to the early 15th century. This was later supported by Françoise Baron, who published the work in the catalogue of the exhibition Fastes du gothique (Paris, Grand Palais, 9 October -1 February 1982, no. 103), also associating it with productions of the first quarter of the 15th century. Since then, scholarship has generally placed this work within the orbit of those sculptors responsible for the tomb of the Duke of Berry. Gifted to the Musée Crozatier in 1840 by Jean-Baptiste Carria, Archpriest of Le Puy Cathedral, the sculpture nonetheless lacks documented earlier provenance, as is the case for our weeper, preventing any secure reconstruction of the original monument to which it belonged.
Based on the formal and technical correspondences between the present lot and the Le Puy-en-Velay weeper, we can therefore argue that there is a very high likelihood both works belonged to the same monument. However, given the absence of documented early provenance and of material evidence allowing the original context of the ensemble to be securely identified, a precise date for the execution of both works cannot be suggested.
The figure of the mourner, or 'weeper' as they are known, is one of the most characteristic motifs in late medieval funerary sculpture. These small-scale figures, cloaked and depicted in attitudes of mourning and contemplation, are generally placed in the lower register of tombs, beneath the recumbent effigy, where they form a funerary procession. Developed primarily within princely circles of northwestern Europe, and more specifically in the former Low Countries and Burgundy, this typology appears as early as the beginning of the 14th century before becoming widely disseminated in the later 14th and 15th centuries.
Among the earliest preserved examples is a weeper from the tomb of Otto IV, executed by Pépin de Huy (c.1260-after 1315) between 1311 and 1315 and now in the Musée du Louvre (inv. RF 4301). A comparison between the Louvre sculpture and the present work was initially suggested due to the fact that both are executed in high relief, are of the same size, and in similar marble. Additionally, both are fragmentary, which made this hypothetical reconstruction very promising. However, a direct comparison between the two works has recently been undertaken and reveals substantial differences. The Louvre weeper is rendered in a much flatter relief, in which the figure remains closely bound to the original surface plane in a more rigid conception typical of the early decades of the 14th century. In comparison, our sculpture is treated in much higher relief. In this respect, our figure is executed in a manner that is much closer to that used for the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy and the duc de Berry (1340-1416), which definitively established both the iconography and the principal sculptural formulas of the monumental mourner.
The tombs of Philip the Bold (1342-1404), Duke of Burgundy, and of John the Fearless (1371-1419), his son and successor, are the most famous examples of this tradition. Directed by Claus Sluter (c.1350-1406) and later Claus de Werve (1380-1439), the first of these tombs permanently established the model of the procession of mourners. That of John the Fearless, begun in 1443 by Jean de la Huerta (c.1413-1462) and completed in the 1460s by Antoine Le Moiturier (c.1425-after 1497), continued this model, which also featurs alabaster weepers carved in the round. In contrast, the tomb of John of France, duc de Berry, is distinguished by a different conception, combining marble and alabaster and incorporating figures in part-relief attached to the frieze, which are closer to our work both technically and typologically. In this context, it is worth recalling that certain mourners from the tomb of the duc de Berry, executed by Jean de Cambrai (c.1375–1438) between 1396 and 1416 and formerly in the Denys Cochin collection, now in the Musée du Louvre (inv. RF 2016.3.1 and RF 2016.3.2), are also executed in marble and carved in high-relief. Further comparisons may be drawn with certain weepers attributed to Guillaume de Veluten (active before 1400-before 1445), in particular an example in the Musée du Louvre (inv. CL 19267).
Nevertheless, the execution of the present lot does not allow it to be attributed to any of the sculptors associated with the best-documented princely funerary workshops. The closest comparable work is an isolated mourner of unknown medieval provenance, preserved in the Musée Crozatier in Le Puy-en-Velay (fig. 1, inv. 840.75). As well as sharing an extremely close technical conception, the two sculptures are of nearly identical dimensions (H. 33 cm and 33.5 cm; W. 10 cm and 9.8 cm; D. 6 cm and 6.9 cm). Both are carved in high relief, and their use of marble further distinguishes them from the Burgundian tradition. The stylistic affinity is particularly evident in the treatment of the faces (rounded features, short fleshy nose, downturned mouth, hood falling back and partially covering the eyes at the front, similar collar), as well as in the drapery, especially in the V-shaped lateral folds and the relatively flattened rendering of the arms. Both figures rest on a similar rounded base, from which the feet protrude, while the back is also conceived in an identical manner (flattened back, central rise in the hood, and splayed lateral folds). Finally, similar attachment devices are visible to the reverse and beneath the base in the form of two anchoring holes. Some differences nevertheless remain, inherent to the very logic of mourner series, conceived as sequences of individualized figures. Our example displays a more pronounced contrapposto than that from Le Puy-en-Velay, a more projecting abdomen, and a different hand gesture. These variations do not, however, detract from the strong formal coherence linking the two sculptures, suggesting that they may have belonged to the same monumental ensemble.
As early 1904, when the Le Puy-en-Velay mourner was first discussed in print, Louis Gous emphasized the links between it and the mourners by Jean de Cambrai for the tomb of the duc de Berry, particularly in the way the face is partially concealed by the hood and in the positioning of the hands. This allowed for a dating of the Le Puy-en-Velay weeper to the early 15th century. This was later supported by Françoise Baron, who published the work in the catalogue of the exhibition Fastes du gothique (Paris, Grand Palais, 9 October -1 February 1982, no. 103), also associating it with productions of the first quarter of the 15th century. Since then, scholarship has generally placed this work within the orbit of those sculptors responsible for the tomb of the Duke of Berry. Gifted to the Musée Crozatier in 1840 by Jean-Baptiste Carria, Archpriest of Le Puy Cathedral, the sculpture nonetheless lacks documented earlier provenance, as is the case for our weeper, preventing any secure reconstruction of the original monument to which it belonged.
Based on the formal and technical correspondences between the present lot and the Le Puy-en-Velay weeper, we can therefore argue that there is a very high likelihood both works belonged to the same monument. However, given the absence of documented early provenance and of material evidence allowing the original context of the ensemble to be securely identified, a precise date for the execution of both works cannot be suggested.
Brought to you by
Olivia Ghosh
Specialist