Early Gothic Saint-Denis: Restorations and Survivals
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is indicative only and does not represent the condition of this copy. For information about the condition of this book you can email us.
When the west facade of France's Royal Abbey of Saint-Denis was restored in the 19th century, critics denounced the restoration as blatantly discordant, proclaiming that the sculptures were ruined and no longer of historical interest. This study counters these earlier assumptions with an examination of archaeological methods. Blum presents convincing evidence for the survival, untouched, of a significant amount of 12th-century Saint-Denis sculpture of the highest quality. Indeed, the well-preserved sculptural passages provide a key to the Early Gothic style as well as revealing the distinct imprints of three artists and their influences on each other. Blum's penetrating analyses of the restorative techniques and materials are accompanied by telling photograph-diagrams that distinguish the original work from that done later.
Author: Pamela Z. Blum
Format: Paperback, 199 pages
Published: 1994, University of California Press, United States
Genre: Architecture
Description
When the west facade of France's Royal Abbey of Saint-Denis was restored in the 19th century, critics denounced the restoration as blatantly discordant, proclaiming that the sculptures were ruined and no longer of historical interest. This study counters these earlier assumptions with an examination of archaeological methods. Blum presents convincing evidence for the survival, untouched, of a significant amount of 12th-century Saint-Denis sculpture of the highest quality. Indeed, the well-preserved sculptural passages provide a key to the Early Gothic style as well as revealing the distinct imprints of three artists and their influences on each other. Blum's penetrating analyses of the restorative techniques and materials are accompanied by telling photograph-diagrams that distinguish the original work from that done later.
Early Gothic Saint-Denis: Restorations and Survivals