Throne of Wisdom

Ilene H. Forsyth

Published by Princeton University Press 1972

Throne of Wisdom

Ilene H. Forsyth

Volume 5366 in the series Princeton Legacy Library

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691196725

Overview
Contents

About this book

The wooden statue of the Mother and Child enthroned, known as sedes sapientiae, the Seat or Throne of Wisdom, reached the brilliant culmination of its development as a genre of religious sculpture in the twelfth century. As a visible expression of the mystery of Incarnation, its iconography dated back to the early church. Translated by the Romanesque sculptor into a fully plastic, freestanding form, its style conveys convincingly the medieval vision of humanity and divinity interfused.
The recent cleaning and restoration of a number of these wood-carved figures of the Madonna in Majesty has now made possible a full appraisal of the genre. Mrs. Forsyth's discussion examines the character, function, iconography, and history of the statues; distinguishes types and regional styles; considers their role within the broader context of medieval art; and assesses their artistic merit. Her register of principal examples includes 110 sculptures dating from twelfth century France, some of which have never been published before. 192 illustrations accompany the text.
Ilene H. Forsyth is Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Art, at the University of Michigan.

Originally published in 1972.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
List of Illustrations Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	xvii
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
CHAPTER I. The Character of the Sculptures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	8
CHAPTER II. Function Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	31
CHAPTER III. Origins: The Throne of Wisdom Statue and the Revival of Freestanding Sculpture Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	61
CHAPTER IV. Statues of the Throne of Wisdom Prior to 1100 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	92
CHAPTER V. The Twelfth Century Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	134
Register of Principal Examples Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	156
Appendix I Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	205
Appendix II Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	207
Selected Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	209
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	219
Illustrations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227

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