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Methodology
The purpose of this study is to consider the history and significance of medieval polychrome sculpture as related to this object and to
take note of its physical condition prior to conservation scientists’
analysis of its polychromy. The research for this study falls into two
broad categories: “Gothic Sculpture,” pertinent to the history of
medieval polychromy and various topics relevant to the Crucifixion sculpture’s attribution, and “Technical Concerns,” covering the
production and significance of medieval polychrome sculpture and
observations noted in the Crucifixion sculpture’s surface
examination.
Technical Concerns
In the case of sculptures whose origin is not
known definitively, a clearer understanding
of the manner in which they were prepared
and painted will lend insight on their history. Polychroming processes varied, but it is
likely that a limestone sculpture like this
would have been primed with a gesso-like
sealant of oil, lead white, and other
pigments before receiving coats of paint and/or gilding.4 The presence of this layer is
evidenced by raking tool marks scattered
across the the sculpture.
Paint losses reveal the existence of multiple
layers of colour, suggesting that the
sculpture may have been repainted. Notably, the orange and green surface
discolorations likely conceal lower layers of
paint and may indicate the (previous)
presence of gilding.
The Burrell Collection’s Crucifixion with Virgin and Five
Saints: A case study of medieval polychromy
Carter Lyon Technical Art History, Making & Meaning MLitt
Gothic Sculpture
Though medieval stone sculpture is often
associated with whiteness, the vibrant
colouring of the Crucifixion sculpture offers
a more accurate idea of how such works were intended to look. Polychrome
sculptures were commonly found in
churches throughout the Middle Ages.1
Considered to help facilitate the faithful’s
encounter with the divine, sculptures were painted so to heighten their life-likeness and
their visibility in dimly-lit spaces.2
Notably, the portrayal of the crucified Christ
surrounded by saints in an unregistered,
rectangular stone panel is consistent with
stylistic trends seen on altarpieces produced from the fourteenth century on.3
Furthermore, iconographic similarities
between this sculpture and known Gothic
altarpieces legitimise its presentation as
such.
Conclusions
The manner in which the Burrell Collection’s
curators interpret Crucifixion with Virgin and
Five Saints will essentially determine the
object’s history. Comparisons of the sculpture to known altarpieces suggest that
its long-held classification as such is
reasonable—however, further investigation
into the iconography of other types of
medieval sculpture would assist in refining its possible identities.
Forthcoming technical analyses will
enhance present understanding of the
object, revealing insight on the work’s
earlier colouration(s) and/or gilding. The
findings of these studies, coupled with a greater understanding of painted religious
sculpture’s historic significance, will offer
museum goers and scholars valuable
insight on this important material dimension
of medieval Christian culture.
Supervisors: Dr Mark Richter, University of Glasgow | Pippa Stephenson and Dr Rachel King, Glasgow Museums
Introduction
As the Burrell Collection plans to redisplay its galleries, the long-held “histories” of certain objects are coming under scrutiny. The
Crucifixion with Virgin and Five Saints sculpture is one such
example: its present wall text describes the polychrome (painted)
limestone panel as a late fifteenth-century Burgundian altarpiece.
While no record cites the source of this attribution, it may have stemmed from a previous curator’s interpretation of information
offered by the object’s dealer, M&R Stora. Given the outstanding
quality of its polychromy, curators are keen to make it a highlight
of the future Colour Gallery, but will reconsider its attribution.
References 1 Marco Collareta, “From Color to Black and White, and Back Again: the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times,” in The Color of Life: Polychromy in Sculpture from Antiquity to the Present, ed. Roberta Panzanelli et al. (Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2008), 65; 2 David Park, “The Polychromy of English Medieval Sculpture,” in Wonder: Painted Sculpture from
Medieval England, ed. Stacy Boldrick and Stephen Feeke (Leeds: Henry Moore Institute, 2002), 42; Stacy Boldrick, “Introduction,” in Wonder: Painted Sculpture from Medieval England,
ed. Stacy Boldrick and Stephen Feeke (Leeds: Henry Moore Institute, 2002), 15; 3 Pierre-Yves Le Pogam, “Les retables au XIVe siècle,” Les Premiers Retables (XIIe- Début du XVe
siècle): Une mise en scène du sacré, ed. Pierre-Yves Le Pogam and Christine Vivet-Peclet (Paris: Musée du Louvre, 2009), 91; 4 Sophie Guillot de Suduiraut, “Quelques reflexions sur la
polychromie des sculptures en France dans la seconde moitié et au XVIe siècle,” Techne 39 (2014): 100.
All of the above photographs were taken by Carter Lyon in January and March 2017.
Retable (Altarpiece) 44.36[1-2]. French,
Burgundy, c. 1450-1500,
polychrome limestone, The
Burrell Collection,
Glasgow. Photograph by
Carter Lyon
Detail of Christ and the Virgin highlighting
surface discolorations. The panel’s split along
Christ’s body was not found in any similar
sculptures seen in this
study.
Detail from lower left border revealing two
layers of polychromy. These red and green
remnants may suggest two separate painting
campaigns.
Detail of the vine, a symbol associated
with the Eucharist. This symbolism
supports the sculpture’s
classification as an
altarpiece.
Photograph by CL Photograph by CL Photograph by CL