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Description A French Gothic carved alabaster funerary portal or arch voussoir
Attributed to Jean de Cambrai (French, 1375-1438), possibly from Sainte-Chapelle de Bourges, early 15th century
H: 16 1/2, W: 11, D: 10 in. (approx.)
PROVENANCE:
Private Collection, New York, NY.
Condition Report Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Freeman's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Freeman's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Freeman's. For that reason, Freeman's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. All transactions are governed by Freeman's Conditions of Sale.
Notes Jean, duc de Berry (French, 1340-1416), was the younger brother of King Charles V the Wise of France (r. 1364-1380). The duc de Berry was a great patron of the arts, and in architecture favored his brother''s taste for luminous alabaster. One of his most important commissions was the Sainte-Chapelle de Bourges, founded on August 17, 1392 and completed in 1450. Modeled on the Sainte-Chapelle de Paris, this chapel was intended as a reliquary for a relic of the True Cross and one of its nails, and in 1403 was also chosen by the duc as his future resting place. The duc selected the sculptor Jean de Cambrai (French, 1375-1438), from the north of France near the Flemish border, to design his tomb, which comprised the well-known effigy that still exists today, along with its architectural setting. Sainte-Chapelle de Bourges was severely damaged by fire in 1693, and further destroyed by a hurricane in 1756. The ruins were demolished in 1757, and its various decorative elements dispersed. A corbel or arch voussoir carved from a finely grey-veined alabaster quarried from Salins, the preferred source of Royal stone in the early fifteenth century, this fragment depicts a tearful angel on the verge of flight. With right hand to his breast in tender emotion, his face is simultaneously at peace and afflicted by his burden, as he readies to transmit a soul to heaven. Such imagery is most frequently found in funerary monuments, such as the one built by Jean de Cambrai for the duc de Berry. This grieving angel, with his long and narrow closely set fingers, rounded and emotive face, and highly stylized hair in the fashion of about 1400, together with the thick treatment of drapery, indeed bears remarkable similarities to the aesthetic and pathos of Cambrai''s Flemish-influenced style. Taken together, the evidence suggests that this may be an architectural element from the tomb in the lost Sainte-Chapelle de Bourges, and, in the words of Théo-Antoine Hermanès, the noted Swiss medievalist and conservator who evaluated this work in 2011, ''almost certainly a work of Jean de Cambrai.'' This lot is sold together with a copy of Mr. Hermanès'' analysis, which may also be reviewed upon request prior to the auction.