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A lavishly presented, extraordinarily exhaustive study of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris--one of Europe's masterpieces of Gothic architecture, and a building with a complex and still elusive history. The author describes in detail how the cathedral comprises a "stacking" of successive monuments, and how, over time, in a sequence of inspired building projects, the present structure took form. Giving particular attention to the cathedral's abundant sculpture, he explains early genesis of a cathedral on the site in the fourth century, how Clovis acquired it in the sixth century, the rebuilding which began in the 12th century, and the restoration in the 19th century. The oversize format (11x14") allows intimate viewing of the 260-plus illustrations, mostly photos (138 in color) and some line drawings. This English edition is translated (by John Goodman) from the French work (1997, Editions de la Martiniere, Paris). Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
The popular image of the traditional western city has usually been dominated by the cathedral, whose sheer size seemed to create an isolated physical and spiritual focal point. In this iconoclastic study, the author sets out to reverse some of the romantic myths which have accrued about the medieval cathedral, in particular that the cathedral was a separate entity, self-sufficient, sublime and apart. Here the cathedral is shown to be a dynamic, evolving and unpredictable force in the development of the medieval city. Taking France as the main focus, but including material on England, Germany, Italy, Spain and Bohemia, the author describes the growth of diocesan authority and the consequent experiments in the layout of cathedral plans. Full use is made of recent archaeological research to show how architectural, social, financial and religious considerations combined to form a structure that was above all a practical, functioning concern, a 'city within a city'.
Tells the story of the birth of the building trades as represented in the Gothic cathedrals and castles erected in medieval western Europe, discussing the development of the tools and techniques that enabled them to be built.
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Since its construction, Notre Dame Cathedral has played a central role in French cultural identity. In the wake of the tragic fire of 2019, questions of how to restore the fabric of this quintessential French monument are once more at the forefront. This all-too-prescient book, first published in French in 2013, takes a central place in the conversation. The Gothic cathedral par excellence, Notre Dame set the architectural bar in the competitive years of the third quarter of the twelfth century and dazzled the architects and aesthetes of the Enlightenment with its structural ingenuity. In the nineteenth century, the cathedral became the touchstone of a movement to restore medieval patrimony ...
A study of the European medieval cathedrals, and how they were built and paid for
A fully updated and comprehensive companion to Romanesque and Gothic art history This definitive reference brings together cutting-edge scholarship devoted to the Romanesque and Gothic traditions in Northern Europe and provides a clear analytical survey of what is happening in this major area of Western art history. The volume comprises original theoretical, historical, and historiographic essays written by renowned and emergent scholars who discuss the vibrancy of medieval art from both thematic and sub-disciplinary perspectives. Part of the Blackwell Companions to Art History, A Companion to Medieval Art, Second Edition features an international and ambitious range of contributions coverin...
A dazzling successor to Abbeville's The Art of Florence, this two-volume tour de force sweeps through the entire history of the arts in Paris, from the Stone Age to the pyramid at the Louvre. Contains Vol 1 and Vol 2, slipcased. All the arts?painting, sculpture, architecture, urban design, interior design, graphic design, photography, film, fashion, the theater, and opera?have played a role in creating the enduring spirit of Paris. To this day it remains a world center of innovation in art, architecture, and design, and one of the most thoroughly pleasurable of all modern cities. Assembled under the editorial direction of Michel Laclotte, former director of the Musée du Louvre, and with the...
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