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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Roman wood sculptures from Burgundy

subject

description

For the first time, the corpus of Roman wood sculptures from Burgundy is gathered together in a catalogue, with added photographic documents and bibliography. The twenty-five sculptures are listed and studied from a stylistic, iconographic and technical point of view. In the XIIth century, an actual school of monastic wood sculpture seemed to develop within the boundaries of the duchy of Burgundy, bringing a great diversity as far as formal and technical contributions are concerned. The sculptures that are the most representative to help the understanding of those numerous contributions are thoroughly studied. Their stylistic relationships with manuscripts dating back from the Carolingian Renaissance, with the Ottonian sculpture and the contemporary monumental stone sculpture, are pointed out with the analysis of internal characteristics, setting apart different formal languages. The iconographic description shows the specific denotation used in the representation of the holy character. The technical processes of creation are compared through the direct examination of the sculptures and through the collection of usable information. For several pieces, a new dating was suggested; new sculptures and specific artists are brought to notice.The contributions of the wood sculpture from the Auvergne region are specified. The tradition of inserting relics into sculptures is put in relation to the relatively important influence it can have on the building of the shape. One chapter is dedicated to the methodology in the study of wood sculptures’ polychromes. The conservators-restorers play a crucial part in the act of scientifically collecting information attesting the evolution of artistic techniques. Some suggestions are put forward to improve the processes of examination and the collecting of information.