Lot 112
112
A CARVED STONE FIGURE OF A MALE SAINT
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN formerly in the Collection of Colonel Norman Colville M.C. (1893-1974)
A CARVED STONE FIGURE OF A MALE SAINT

TOULOUSE SCHOOL, SECOND HALF 12TH CENTURY

Details
A CARVED STONE FIGURE OF A MALE SAINT
Toulouse school, second half 12th century
On a later green velvet-covered wood base.
Damages to the top of the head and upper corners of the relief; weathering.
22 in. (56 cm.) high
Provenance
Traditionally said to have come from the altar of the cathedral of St. Bertrand de Comminges.
Discovered in 1924 in a field near the cathedral.
Purchased in the same year from the person who discovered the relief by Baron de Gostas.
Colonel Norman Colville M.C (1893-1974)
Thence by descent.
Literature
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
B. Ruprecht, Romanische Skulptur in Frankreich, Munich, 1975, pp. 16, 19, figs. 24-29.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

The present relief is traditionally said to have come from St. Bertrand de Comminges, outside Toulouse and, stylistically, it is consistent with romanesque carving from the Toulouse school. The delicately swaying stance of the figure, and the fascination with the rhythmic patterns of the drapery - surely inspired by a moorish influence emanating from nearby Spain - are comparable to figures from both Saint Etienne and Notre Dame de la Daurade in Toulouse, executed in the second quarter of the twelfth century and circa 1200, respectively (for illustrations of relief and capital figures from these churches see Ruprecht, loc. cit.). The distinctive halo seen here, is also a common feature of the St Etienne carvings.

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