6
Stained glass

Through Gothic architecture and its large windows, stained glass windows have become a very important part of architecture.

 

A “carton” (a life-sized painting) is created to serve as a model.

 

Then how is it made?

Step 1
Metal oxides (powders) are put into a hot glass paste to colour it.
Step 2
The glass is blown, then cut into the desired pattern.
Step 3
The last (but not least) step involves putting the pieces between lead strips. This is what makes them stick together!
In a nutshell

Stained glass glazing techniques consist of mixing metallic oxides with hot glass paste, which is then blown and cut up and assembled using lead strips.

4
The 4 phases of the Gothic style

In all, Gothic architecture existed for five centuries, giving it time to develop and change.

Basilica of Saint-Denis
built between 1135 and 1280. Photo: Ninara, CC BY 2.0
Chartres Cathedral,
view from the Southern door built between 1194 and 1225. Photo: Olvr, CC BY-SA 3.0
Sainte-Chapelle, Paris,
built between 1241 and 1248. Photo: Mathae, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rose Window in Trinity Abbey, Vendôme.
Photo: Manfred Heyde, CC BY-SA 3.0

Primitive Gothic (12th century)

Flying buttresses were now everywhere: this was classical gothic style (early 13th century)

Bay Windows got bigger than ever: this was rayonnant gothic (13th-14th centuries)

This was flamboyant gothic (15th-16th centuries)

 

It is often helpful for historians to make these distinctions. Cathedrals were built over long periods and tend to have a mixture of characteristics!

In a nutshell

The Gothic period went through the following phases: primitive, classical, rayonnant (decorated), and finally, flamboyant.

3
The gisants in the Saint-Denis cathedral.

Saint-Denis is no ordinary church. As well as contributing to the birth of Gothic churches, it housed the royal tombs.Almost all the French kings are buried here.

 

During the 13th century, Louis IX, (known as Saint Louis) wanted to make his mark on it and took it upon himself to order sculptures for the tombs of his predecessors.

 

These are known as gisants (recumbent statues). Each monarch is portrayed as a handsome young person with a peaceful face, lying down, ready for their eternal rest!

Gisant of Eleanor of Aquitaine,
around 1210-1215, Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud. Photo: ActuaLitté, CC BY S-A 2.0
Gisants of Charles VI, Isabeau de Bavière, Charles V, Jeanne de Bourbon, Louis de Sancerre and Bertrand Du Guesclin,
14th-15th centuries, Basilica of Saint-Denis. Photo: Bordeled, CC BY S-A 3.0
Detail of the gisant of Bertrand du Guesclin,
Around 1390, Basilica of Saint-Denis. Photo: David Monniaux, CC BY S-A 3.0
Transi of Guillaume de Harcigny,
1394, limestone, 6’ x 1’10”, Museum of Art and Archaeology, Laon

The gisants of the 12th and 13th centuries were highly idealized.

The gisants of the next centuries were more realistic.


At the end of the Middle Ages, gisants were sometimes replaced by transis (cadaver monuments), which were a very realistic representation of the dying body! No more peaceful rest…

In a nutshell

The Saint-Denis Church contains the tombs of many French Kings, most of them topped by gisants.

2
Gothic architecture

What were the new building techniques used in Saint-Denis?

 

The Pointed Arch (pointed shape) replaced the rounded arch.

 

Crossed ribs, consisting of two crossed pointed arches, made the vault. This was held up by pillars rather than the walls.

 

The buttress is placed against the pillars. It also provides support for the vaulted ceiling.

 

With these new building techniques, walls no longer needed to be thick. Big windows could be installed in the walls!

In a nutshell

In Gothic architecture, walls are thinner and windows bigger, made possible by technical innovations such as crossed ribs.

1
The origin of the word “Gothic”

During the Suger period, it was out of the question to mention the word “Gothic”! In fact, this word comes from the name of a group of people who were thought of as “barbaric”, the Goths, who no longer existed, but there was absolutely no connection.

 

It’s just that during the Renaissance, medieval art was considered ugly, and fit for barbarians. That is how describing something as “Gothic” became a way of saying you didn’t like it. Gothic art is considered in a more favourable light today, but the name has remained.

In a nutshell

During the Renaissance, 12th-15th century art was considered barbaric and it was given the name “Gothic”.

In summary, you have discovered:

  • Relics and pilgrimages
  • Romanesque architecture
  • The Cluniacs and the Cistercians
  • Romanesque art
  • Secular art and religious art
  • Enamel work
  • Opening to the world
To train

Relics are …

You have to choose an answer

A medieval religious order decorated its buildings in great luxury. Which one?

You have to choose an answer

What is mixed with glass paste to obtain enamel?

You have to choose an answer

You have unlocked the next chapter in your course Medieval art.

CHAPTER 3

Gothic

continue

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Go into more detail on the subject with the help of our resources.

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7
Opening to the world

To make all these objects, the people had no choice but to bring raw materials from all over the world. This is enough to challenge the preconceived idea that people in the Middle Ages were inward-looking.

Vase said to have belonged to Eleanor of Aquitaine,
between the sixth and 12th centuries, silver, rock crystal, champleve enamel, gold, niello, pearl, precious stones, 13.26 x 6 inches, Louvre Museum, Paris. Photo: © RMN-Grand Palais (Louvre Museum) / Daniel Arnaudet

In fact, there was a lot of travel during the Middle Ages, for various reasons: trade, pilgrimages, or war. The Crusades, for example, were an attempt to conquer the holy city of Jerusalem. Islamic artworks, whether acquired by peaceful means or not, were frequently encountered in the Mediaeval Western world!

In a nutshell

People and goods travelled a lot more than we think during the Middle Ages.

6
Enamel work

There was one type of artwork that was snapped up in the Middle Ages, whether or not it was religious: luxury metalwork. This was convenient, since the artists were excellent metalworkers at the time. In fact, they perfected a technique: enamel work.

  1. Powdered glass was coloured using metal oxides such as copper and iron.
  2. The mixture was applied to a gold, silver or copper base.
  3. And then it was put straight into the oven! The result was an enamel permanently attached to its base.
Screenshot of the video The enameling technique used by Vacheron Constantin for arts and crafts,
2014, via the Perpetuelle YouTube Channel
Plique Enamel, Paris
1300, cloisonne enamel, Cluny Museum – National Museum of the Middle Ages, Paris
Binding plate, Spain or Limoges,
12th century, cloisonne enamel and champleve enamel, 9.3 x 5 inches, Cluny Museum – National Museum of the Middle Ages, Paris. Photo: Spencer Means, CC BY-SA 2.0
Screenshot of the video How to create champleve enamel,
2009, shot by the Victoria and Albert Museum via the Victoria and Albert Museum YouTube channel
One of the many reliquaries made to house the relics of Saint Thomas Becket,
Late 12th – early 13th century, enameled copper using the champleve technique, 6.25 x 5.5 inches, Cluny Museum – National Museum of the Middle Ages, Paris
Ciborium by Master Alpaïs, Montmajour,
1200, gilded copper, champleve enamel, glass cabochons, Louvre Museum, Paris. Photo: World Imaging, CC BY-SA 3.0
In a nutshell

The metalworkers of the Middle Ages improved enamelling techniques (coloured glass powder set on a metal base).

5
Secular art and religious art

During the Middle Ages, religion was part of daily life. It’s not surprising to see a lot of sacred works, created for the glory of God!

Tympanum over the Miègeville Gate, The Ascension of Christ,
Basilica of Saint-Semin, Toulouse. Photo: PierreSelim, CC0

But “secular” art, meaning non-religious, also existed. We generally find it in properties belonging to rich lords…

 

…for instance, this scene of courtly love. 

 

The boundary between the two is sometimes unclear. This is illustrated by the Bayeux tapestry, which has a military theme, but installed in a church. As for the Lords, they had no hesitation in funding religious works to demonstrate their riches and power.

Grand Heidelberg Song manuscript known as the Manesse Codex
1300-1340, Heidelberg University Library, Zurich. Photo: Heidelberg University, CC0
In a nutshell

Sacred works of art are created for the glory of God, unlike secular art.

4
Romanesque art

Of course, Romanesque art is not just a matter of architecture. The following is a brief summary of practice at the time.

Scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry,
An 11th century tapestry measuring 20 inches x 224 feet, Bayeux Tapestry Museum, Bayeux. Photo: David Brossard, CC BY S-A 2.0
Tympanum of the Last Judgment,
towards 1107-1125, Conques Abbey, Conques, 11’9” x 12’2”. Photo: Titanet, CC BY S-A 3.0
Virgin and Child
12th century, Basilica of Our Lady, Orcival. Photo: Nastytroll, CC BY S-A 3.0
Initial of the letter ‘C’ featuring a hare playing an instrument
around 1220, illumination, Bibliothèque Les Champs Libres, Rennes. Photo: Bibliothèque Les Champs Libres, CC BY S-A 2.0
Carved Oliphant: this wind instrument was used to sound the alert,
13th century, elephant tusk, 25 x 5 inches, Cluny Museum – National Museum of the Middle Ages, Paris. Photo: Charlyne, CC BY 2.0
In a nutshell

Romanesque art is also found in embroidery, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, metalwork and ivory.