Corpus of Medieval Misericords: France [Hardcover]

Elaine C. Block (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002 | Series: Corpus of Medieval Misericords

The Corpus of Medieval Misericords (XIII-XXVI) consists of five volumes; the first four focus on the misericords and related choir stall carvings in specific regions of Europe. The fifth includes an extensive iconographic index of themes common to various countries as well as themes that are unique to a single country. Volume I of this series, Medieval Misericords in France, covers approximately 300 churches that still contain gothic misericords with carved figures and narratives inspired by oral traditions suh as proverbs and folk tales, as well as by manuscript marginalia, romanesque capitals, illustrated bibles, engravings, playing cards... A vast portrayal of medieval life - rural activities, urban occupations, conjugal relationships, monastic life - is displayed in these carvings under the seats of choir stalls along with costumes of the times, town and collegiate architecture, mechanical devices. Puns and rebuses are often intertwined with these themes to produce comic and, to twenty-first century eyes, mysterious puzzles. The global view of misericord carvings, generally ignored in studies of medieval art, is here presented as a multidisciplinary basis for further research by sociologists, historians, archaeologists and other medieval scholars. Following volumes include misericords in Iberia, Flemish and northern Europe, Great Britain.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 500 pages
• Publisher: Brepols Publishers (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2503512399
• ISBN-13: 978-2503512396
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,444,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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