The North Transept of Reims Cathedral: Design, Construction, and Visual Programs PDF
Preview The North Transept of Reims Cathedral: Design, Construction, and Visual Programs
THE NORTH TRANSEPT OF REIMS CATHEDRAL This interdisciplinary volume in the AVISTA series is the first book to focus solely on the north transept of Reims Cathedral, the portion of the gothic building that served as the canons’ primary entrance to the cathedral from their adjoining cloister in the thirteenth century. Despite the importance of its sculpture and stained glass, as well as its ritual use by the canons, the north transept remains one of the least understood portions of the cathedral—in part because its sequence of construction is so complex, even improvised. Until recently, important archaeological evidence of the transept’s substructures was unavailable. This is, however, no longer the case. The current volume presents this new subterranean evidence alongside careful studies of the stones above ground, analysis of the geometry used in the transept’s design, iconographic and stylistic studies of its sculpture and glass, and extant medieval documents, which record events bearing upon its construction. Essays by international specialists of the cathedral’s archaeology, architecture, sculpture, and stained glass address issues of the north transept’s evolving design and visual programs, thereby significantly clarifying and revising the building’s chronology. Essays also consider the meaning of its visual programs in light of architectural adaptation and contemporary socio- historical events—whether royal coronations or the infamous revolts of the local burghers. In addition to presenting a readily accessible state of the research on the north transept, the volume also provides a model for interdisciplinary and international collaboration in the study of medieval buildings. Jennifer M. Feltman is a specialist in the art and architecture of twelfth- and thirteenth-century Europe. She is currently completing a book, Moral Theology and the Cathedral: Portals of the Last Judgment in Thirteenth-Century France. The book illuminates the ways in which Parisian moral theology was disseminated through clerical networks across the dioceses of France and made visible in sculptural programs of the Last Judgment at the Cathedrals of Chartres, Paris, Reims, and Amiens. She is Assistant Professor of Medieval Art and Architecture at The University of Alabama, USA. AVISTA Studies in History of Medieval Technology, Science and Art is a series produced by AVISTA (The Association Villard de Honnecourt for Interdisciplinary Study of Medieval Technology, Science and Art), and published by Routledge. The aim of the series is to promote the cross–disciplinary objectives of AVISTA by publishing in the areas of the history of science, technology, architecture, and art. The society takes its name from Villard (Wilars) de Honnecourt, an elusive persona of the thirteenth century whose autograph portfolio contains a variety of fascinating drawings and descriptions of both the fine and mechanical arts. www.avista.org AVISTA President, 2016 Vibeke Olson AVISTA Publications Director Carol Neuman de Vegvar Volume Editor-in-Chief Jennifer M. Feltman Series Advisory Board Robert Bork Vibeke Olson Ellen Shortell Sarah Thompson Previous titles in this series: The Sacred and Secular in Medieval Healing Sites, Objects, and Texts Edited by Barbara S. Bowers and Linda Migl Keyser Arts of the Medieval Cathedrals Studies on Architecture, Stained Glass, and Sculpture in Honor of Anne Prache Edited by Kathleen Nolan and Dany Sandron New Approaches to Medieval Architecture Edited by Robert Bork, William W. Clark, and Abby McGehee Working with Limestone The Science, Technology, and Art of Medieval Limestone Monuments Edited by Vibeke Olson AVISTA Studies in the History of Medieval Technology, Science and Art Volume 11 The North Transept of Reims Cathedral Design, Construction, and Visual Programs Edited by JENNIFER M. FELTMAN The University of Alabama, USA First published 2016 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2016 selection and editorial matter, Jennifer M. Feltman; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Jennifer M. Feltman to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN: 978-1-4724-6246-6 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-31033-6 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Apex CoVantage, LLC For Paula, Bill, and Nancy This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Figures ix List of Color Plates xv List of Contributors xvii Acknowledgements xxi List of Abbreviations xxiii Introduction 1 Jennifer M. Feltman PART I DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION 1 The North Portals of Reims Cathedral: The Evidence Below Ground 15 Walter Berry 2 Retracing the Original North Transept of Reims Cathedral 39 Nancy Wu 3 Changing Geometries in the North Transept of Reims Cathedral 65 Robert Bork 4 The Last Judgment Portal of Reims Cathedral: An Archaeological Study of Its Construction 85 Iliana Kasarska PART II VISUAL PROGRAMS 5 Royal and Clerical Iconography and the Chronology of the Last Judgment Portal at Reims Cathedral 115 Jennifer M. Feltman 6 Sculpture, Ritual, and Episcopal Identity in the Saints Portal at Reims Cathedral 141 Lindsey Hansen viii THE NORTH TRANSEPT OF REIMS CATHEDRAL 7 Dissent: Satan, Job, Gregory IX 161 Barbara Abou-El-Haj 8 The North Rose of Reims Cathedral: A Preliminary Archaeological Study 175 Sylvie Balcon-Berry 9 Chronological Evidence in the North Transept Stained Glass of Reims Cathedral 187 Meredith Parsons Lillich Index 205
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