The Art of Sculpture in the Middle Ages

Romanesque Sculpture and Gothic Sculpture

The most notable sculptural works of the Byzantine Empire are the ornamental work on the capitals; there are fine examples in San Vitale in Ravenna. Ivory reliefs were common on chests, diptychs, or the famous Chair of Bishop Maximilian, a work carved around 550. Characteristic of Ottonian art are small ivory and bronze sculptures inlaid with precious stones. Also made of bronze are the doors of St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim, a work related to Byzantine and Carolingian art. Of particular note are the gold-covered wooden images used as reliquaries. Among these, the Gero Crucifix (10th century) stands out, made of polychrome wood, which is found in Cologne Cathedral.

Romanesque sculpture (11th–13th centuries) was at the service of architecture, and many examples are found along major pilgrimage routes, such as the Way of St. James. Sculptors treated various parts of churches—tympanums, portals, and capitals with stories based on biblical themes—with great realism. The Maiestas Domini and the Last Judgment were the most frequently represented iconographic themes. The most commonly used material was wood, which was used to create devotional images such as the "Madonnas and Child," widely represented throughout Catalonia and southern France. However, the most important Romanesque image was Christ in Majesty. The Volto Santo of Lucca in Milan Cathedral stands out, as well as the Christ of Mig Aran and Batlló's Majesty in the National Art Museum of Catalonia.

The door of Chartres Cathedral (1145) is one of the earliest examples of Gothic sculpture, and it features, among other figures, fabulous animals that form the gargoyles. In Germany, both the exterior and interior of Bamberg Cathedral (13th century) contain highly significant sculptures, a good example being the Equestrian Statue of the Knight of Bamberg. An innovation is the sculptures on dramatic themes, with scenes from the Passion of Christ and the Pietà. At the end of the Gothic period, magnificent altarpieces were created in Germany by artists such as Tilman Riemenschneider and Veit Stoss. In the Kingdom of Castile, the sculptors Gil de Siloé and Alejo de Vahía worked. In the Kingdom of Aragon, Aloi de Montbrai created the Tailors' Altarpiece for the Cathedral of Tarragona, and Pere Moragues sculpted the tomb of Fernández de Luna, a piece now in the Cathedral of San Salvador in Zaragoza. Also noteworthy is the relief of Saint George in the Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia, executed by Pere Joan. Claus Sluter, a Flemish artist, created the portal of the Charterhouse of Champmol (Dijon) and a pedestal for the cloister well known as the Well of Moses. In Italy, in Pisa and Siena, the sculptors Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni Pisano left behind works of great quality, which already herald the transition to a new type of sculpture.

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