Master of Cabestany

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A sculptor from the second half of the 12th century who is not known by name is referred to as the Master of Cabestany .

Cabestany tympanum

Discovery story

In the 1930s, art historians noted remarkable stylistic similarities between some works of art. Among them, the ranked tympanum of Cabestany in the first place. In 1944 the art historian Josep Gudiol named the anonymous artist after this place near Perpignan . His works can be found in the French departments of Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales as well as in northern Catalonia and Navarra , but also in Tuscany . In total you can find works by this artist or his workshop in at least 14 churches. Whether he was familiar with the sculptures created half a century earlier in Moissac Abbey, just 300 km from Cabestany , and, if so, to what extent they were stimulated or influenced by them, has not been definitively clarified.

The above-mentioned tympanum was discovered shortly after 1930 during expansion work on the parish church of Cabestany (approx. 6 km east of Perpignan in Roussillon ). The high technical quality, the theme and the originality of this sculptural work gave cause for more detailed investigations and comparisons with other medieval sculptures . The striking similarities between the various capitals , sarcophagi and other sculptures led to the assumption of a single responsible artist - the “Master of Cabestany”.

A total of 121 sculptures are ascribed to this master or his workshop in Western Europe. To date, his work is the subject of numerous publications. More than 200 works from theology , history and art history deal with this milestone in religious art of the 12th century.

Characteristic features

The style of the sculptures by the Master of Cabestany shows some typical characteristics. The faces are approximately triangular with a low forehead, high cheekbones, flat chin, pronounced ears and slanted, almond-shaped eyes, which are often emphasized by holes drilled in the corners of the eyes. The oversized hands and feet, the ancient richness of folds in the robes and the abundance of details surrounding the main characters are striking.

Works

On the basis of the stylistic features described, a number of works by the “Master of Cabestany” can be identified, although in individual cases the opinions differ from one another, whether it is a work by the master himself, from his workshop or from the hand of another inspired by him Artist acts. The following list of the best-known works is structured spatially - as a chronological order is almost impossible due to the location of the sources:

France

  • Pyrénées-Orientales department
    • Cabestany : In a chapel on the north side of the Notre-Dame-des-Anges church , the master's key work is exhibited on the western wall; it is named after this place. It is a tympanum made of white marble that is damaged in the upper part and is therefore almost trapezoidal. The original location of this tympanum is unknown; It was probably located above the main entrance of the previous church.
      The marble slab used is possibly even older and served as a grave slab. The entire surface of the picture is filled with eight large and four smaller figures; In addition, there are nine small heads and a frieze with small animals (lions, monkeys, griffins )on the lower edge, which proves that there was no lintel or similarunder the tympanum. These animals under the feet of Christ are possibly an allusion to Psalm 91:13: "You step over lions and vipers, / step on lions and dragons."
      On the tympanum, three scenes can be distinguished: on the left Jesus Christ liftshis mother Mary from the Coffin and presents it to the apostles Peter , depicted with a beard, and the young John , on the right the Assumption of Mary is shown (the same scene can be found on a capital in Rieux-Minervois (see below)). In the middle stands - according to its importance as the largest figure - the blessing Christ between Mary and the Apostle Thomas . He is holding a belt with almond-shaped symbols, which legend says he received from Mary.

  • Cabestany Tympanum (detail)

  • Detail of the Ascension

    • Le Boulou : In the church of Sainte Marie from the 12th century, which was rebuilt several times over the years (especially in the 14th century), the Romanesque west portal has been preservedfrom the time it was built. It is made of white marble (from the quarries of Céret ) and isflankedby two columns andoverlooked byan archivolt . Above it is a frieze that is supported by seven consoles . The scenes, some of which are slightly damaged, describe, from right to left, some episodes from Jesus' childhood: the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the Birth, the Presentation in the Temple , the Adoration of the Magi, the Flight into Egypt and the Refuge there.
      All the characteristic features of the Cabestany tympanum can also be found here: the typical heads, the completely filled space, the oversized hands, the care taken in carving out the folds of the robes, the attention to detail (an example: the precisely depicted saddles of the horses). One difference, however, is striking: the pupils of some of the figures are drilled.
      Another detail is interesting: the scene in the templedepictstwo women (the midwives Salome and Zelomi) bathing Jesus in a basin. This scene does not come from the New Testament , but from an apocryphal script, the Protevangelium of James (19.3). The juxtaposition of biblical scenes with scenes that had been rejected by the Church shows how widespread they were in popular belief. Similar representations can be found u. a. in St. Trophime in Arles .
      The same applies to the companions on the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt and the refuge there. The relevant passages are not in the Bible, but only in the pseudo-Matthew Gospel (18 ff.).

  • overall view

  • Frieze

  • Adoration of the Magi

    • Monastir del Camp : The west portal of the Monastir del Camp monasterynear Thuir is flanked on the right and left by two columns, which are stylistically attributed to the workshop of the Master of Cabestany. Mythical creatures or other grotesque figuresare depicted,some of which play instruments. The figures on the second capital on the left can possibly be identified as depictions of the Roman Emperor Constantine with his mother Helena , the patron saint of the nearby town of Elne .

  • overall view

  • Left pair of pillars

  • Right pair of pillars

  • Aude department
    • Rieux-Minervois : Inside the heptagonal church L'Assomption-de-Notre-Dame there are 14 capitals, one of which depicts the Assumption of Mary - similar to the one in Cabestany. Another capital shows lions, the other 12 are Corinthian . There are other capitals in the church that come from an earlier portal.

  • Assumption of Mary

  • Side view

  • Capital on the former portal

    • Saint-Hilaire : in the church of the Saint-Hilaire Abbey , one of the most important works by the Master of Cabestany is preserved, considered one of his later works. It is the sarcophagus of Saint Saturnin , first bishop of Toulouse in the 3rd century. The church was originally dedicated to him . The sarcophagus is carved from a single block of white marble. The sculptures depict scenes from the life of the saint:
      Right page: Saturnin with a bishop's staff and open book of the gospels is surrounded by his disciples, the saints Honest , Bishop of Pamplona , and Papoul .
      Front: Saturnin, surrounded by many people, is arrested by Roman soldiers. Numerous animals can be seen at his feet - symbols of paganism and barbarism.
      Back: Here the martyrdom is depicted. He is tied to a bull that is teased with spears and dogs. Some virgins who watch the scene are blessed by the saint.
      Left side: This side of the sarcophagus shows the entombment. The soul of the deceased leaves his body and is received by angels .

  • right side

  • back

  • Left side

  • Detail from the back

  • Another detail

    • Saint-Papoul Abbey : This church has the master's work on the outer wall of the central apse of the abbey church . There are two capitals: one depicts Daniel in the lions' den, the other shows the punishment for the slanderer. Both scenes are from the book of Daniel in the Bible .

  • Daniel in the lions' den

  • Punishment of the slanderer

    • Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse Abbey : some fragments of sculptures that may have belonged to an earlier portal have been preserved in the abbey church; others can be found in the associated cemetery. The attribution of these works to the master or his workshop is not definitively certain, despite all stylistic similarities.

Spain

    • Girona : In the abbey church of Sant Pere de Galligants , two capitals have been preserved in the apse of the church, which are attributed to the workshop of the master. One depicts the martyrdom of a saint (possibly Paul ), the other Christ between two apostles.

  • General view of the choir room

Italy

  • capital

    • Prato : Thereare three capitals in theRomanesque cloister of the Cathedral of Santo Stefano , which can most likely be attributed to the circle around the "Master of Cabestany". The first shows a mythical creature with the same characteristic features as different ones in Roussillon. Another represents a person who is attacked by lions.

  • Capital from Prato

  • Another capital

Center de Sculpture Romane

At the beginning of the 1990s, the city of Cabestany decided to bring the artist's work more into the limelight. Thus, in 1993, after consultation with the Inspector General of the Monuments Historiques , a scientific committee made up of French and European experts was set up to select the most important and representative of the master’s numerous works.

On her advice, the decision was made to make replicas of these sculptures. In 2007, sculptor Alphonse Snoeck had already completed 60 sculptures true to the original.

In 1994 the city acquired a former wine cellar with an area of ​​1000 m²; this has served as the Center de Sculpture Romane since June 2004 . The center not only serves as a museum, but also for research. In addition to the works of the master of Cabestany, there are works by other sculptors of his time.

Web links

literature

  • Rolf Toman (ed.): The art of the Romanesque. Architecture, sculpture, painting. Könemann, Cologne 1996, ISBN 3-89508-213-9 , pp. 280-281.
  • André Bonnery among others: Le Maître de Cabestany (= La voie lactée. Volume 1). Zodiaque, La Pierre-qui-Vire 2000, ISBN 2-7369-0260-2 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Anne Mueller von der Haegen, Ruth Strasser: Toskana. Könemann, Cologne 2000, ISBN 3-8290-2649-8 , p. 423.
personal data
SURNAME Master of Cabestany
BRIEF DESCRIPTION sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH 12th Century
DATE OF DEATH 12th century or 13th century