This interdisciplinary volume in the AVISTA series is the first book to focus solely on the north transept of Reims Cathedral, the portion of the gothic building that served as the canons' primary entrance to the cathedral from their adjoining cloister in the thirteenth century. Despite the importance of its sculpture and stained glass, as well as its ritual use by the canons, the north transept remains one of the least understood portions of the cathedral--in part because its sequence of construction is so complex, even improvised. Until recently, important archaeological evidence of the transept's substructures was unavailable. This is, however, no longer the case. The current volume presents this new subterranean evidence alongside careful studies of the stones above ground, analysis of the geometry used in the transept's design, iconographic and stylistic studies of its sculpture and glass, and extant medieval documents, which record events bearing upon its construction. Essays by international specialists of the cathedral's archaeology, architecture, sculpture, and stained glass address issues of the north transept's evolving design and visual programs, thereby significantly clarifying and revising the building's chronology. Essays also consider the meaning of its visual programs in light of architectural adaptation and contemporary socio-historical events--whether royal coronations or the infamous revolts of the local burghers. In addition to presenting a readily accessible state of the research on the north transept, the volume also provides a model for interdisciplinary and international collaboration in the study of medieval buildings.

This interdisciplinary volume in the AVISTA series is the first book to focus solely on the north transept of Reims Cathedral, the portion of the gothic building that served as the canons' primary entrance to the cathedral from their adjoining cloister in the thirteenth century. Despite the importance of its sculpture and stained glass, as well as its ritual use by the canons, the north transept remains one of the least understood portions of the cathedral--in part because its sequence of construction is so complex, even improvised. Until recently, important archaeological evidence of the transept's substructures was unavailable. This is, however, no longer the case. The current volume presents this new subterranean evidence alongside careful studies of the stones above ground, analysis of the geometry used in the transept's design, iconographic and stylistic studies of its sculpture and glass, and extant medieval documents, which record events bearing upon its construction. Essays by international specialists of the cathedral's archaeology, architecture, sculpture, and stained glass address issues of the north transept's evolving design and visual programs, thereby significantly clarifying and revising the building's chronology. Essays also consider the meaning of its visual programs in light of architectural adaptation and contemporary socio-historical events--whether royal coronations or the infamous revolts of the local burghers. In addition to presenting a readily accessible state of the research on the north transept, the volume also provides a model for interdisciplinary and international collaboration in the study of medieval buildings.

"Examines the stained-glass windows in the Gothic cathedral of Reims within the context of the evolution of the French monarchy and medieval art"--Provided by publisher.

Though long recognized as one of the most beautiful works from the second half of the thirteenth century, the magnificent sculptural program of the reverse fa?e at Reims Cathedral has received little in the way of scholarly attention. Interpreting the iconography in the light of Latin texts associated with the building, its history and its ceremonial use, Donna Sadler assesses the significance of the reverse fa?e in light of other thirteenth-century visual programs associated with the court of Louis IX. The book's chapters deal with the history of the cathedral and its architectural antecedents; the iconographic message of the visual program, the meaning of the reverse fa?e and how it intersects with the overall iconography; the function of the verso and how it is enhanced by the marriage of form and content; and a consideration of contemporary works linked to the court of Saint Louis, concluding with a brief look at the new roles sculpture assumes as it migrates inside cathedrals. Ultimately this book reveals how the imagery on the reverse fa?e not only conforms to a system of memory and mode of medieval narratology, but also articulates a dominant ideological position regarding the interdependence of ecclesiastical and royal powers.

The Routledge Companion to Art and Disability explores disability in visual culture to uncover the ways in which bodily and cognitive differences are articulated physically and theoretically, and to demonstrate the ways in which disability is culturally constructed. This companion is organized thematically and includes artists from across historical periods and cultures in order to demonstrate the ways in which disability is historically and culturally contingent. The book engages with questions such as: How are people with disabilities represented in art? How are notions of disability articulated in relation to ideas of normality, hybridity, and anomaly? How do artists use visual culture to affirm or subvert notions of the normative body? Contributors consider the changing role of disability in visual culture, the place of representations in society, and the ways in which disability studies engages with and critiques intersectional notions of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality. This book will be particularly useful for scholars in art history, disability studies, visual culture, and museum studies.

This study examines the development of Gothic sculpture throughout Europe. It discusses the most famous monuments, such as the cathedrals of Chartres, Amiens and Reims, Westminster Abbey and the Siena Duomo, and less familiar buildings in France, England, Italy, Germany, Spain and Scandinavia.

With many excellent books on medieval stained glass available, the reader of this anthology may well ask: “what is the contribution of this collection?” In this book, we have chosen to step away from national, chronological, and regional models. Instead, we started with scholars doing interesting work in stained glass, and called upon colleagues to contribute studies that represent the diversity of approaches to the medium, as well as up-to-date bibliographies for work in the field. Contributors are: Wojciech Balus, Karine Boulanger, Sarah Brown, Elizabeth Carson Pastan, Madeline H. Caviness, Michael W. Cothren, Francesca Dell’Acqua, Uwe Gast, Françoise Gatouillat, Anne Granboulan, Anne F. Harris, Christine Hediger, Michel Hérold, Timothy B. Husband, Alyce A. Jordan, Herbert L. Kessler, David King, Brigitte Kurmann-Schwarz, Claudine Lautier, Ashley J. Laverock, Meredith P. Lillich, Isabelle Pallot-Frossard, Hartmut Scholz, Mary B. Shepard, Ellen M. Shortell, Nancy M. Thompson.