Column Figure of the Nimbed King

French; Made in Saint-Denis Limestone; H. 45 1/4 in. (115 cm) Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1920 (20.157) www.metmuseum.org

Created for the royal abbey of Saint-Denis, the home of the Gothic style as established by Abbot Sugar (1122-1151). This column figure of an Old Testament king is comparatively sculptural and life-like in nature. The crown of jewels and nimbus (a circle of radiant light surrounding the head of a drawn or sculptured divinity, saint, or sovereign) mark this as a royal and saintly figure.

Royal Patronage     Figurative Art      European Medieval Art    

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