though there is stylization and despite this you feel as if you are looking at faces of people that once existed and their faces are surprisingly modern. It is also not known who exactly the sculptures represent, originally it was thought old testament figures because the cathedral is devoted to proving the lineage of Mary, but it is far from certain. The male figures are interesting also but I became intrigued by the female figures especially as there is some evidence to suggest that the Marian Cult was actively fostered in Chartres. It is known that the cathedral devoted itself to the seven liberal arts: Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy and to the feminine. There are at least 400 representations of the feminine, an interesting thought in an age that on the surface seems dominated by The Crusades, Richard the Lion Heart and William the Conqueror. Until you start to look more closely that is; this is also the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, of Mathilde, William’s wife who held the fort in Normandy whilst he was off fighting and establishing order in England. These were powerful intelligent women who ruled in their own right and who sponsored many building projects along with their male counterparts. To them can be attributed the commissioning of the creation of Books of Hours (another preoccupation on the back burner for the time being), grand tapestries including the famed Lady and the Unicorn and even some say the Bayeaux Tapestry. There is some suggestion that it may have been commissioned by Queen Mathilde to celebrate William’s efforts in England, though I realize there are many stories of how this tapestry (sic embroidery) came to be.
The detail of the embroidery on this sculpture is fine indeed.
The women’s attire has been given incredible detail in stone and is accurate for the period. These sculptors knew their time, it wasn’t just about drape and braids, it was about representing the fine pleating, the belts and the embroidered detail. Did you know that in the thirteenth century a womans braids were a point of admiration and were even written about? The vestments and the patterns of the columns are so dense and rich with symbolism and just a sheer joy in decoration. .
Right: “Chartres Queens”, detail, Dijanne Cevaal.
throughourhands.co.uk
68