Eastern French, probably Northern Burgundy, circa 1400
Eastern France, probably Northern Burgundy, circa 1400
Head of a Bearded Man, possibly Saint Peter
limestone, so-called 'pierre de Tonnerre'; on a wooden base by Kichizo Inagaki
inscribed: SN in red on the neck
head: 35cm., 13¾in.
50cm. high overall, 19¾in.
Catalogue Note:
International Gothic emerged from a new artistic flowering that began towards the end of the Hundred Years’ War. It developed in Western Europe, where intense diplomatic, familial and cultural relations were forged, and was shaped by the movement of architects, painters and sculptors from one court to another in search of new patrons. The result was a shared artistic language, tinged with certain regional characteristics. This imposing head, possibly representing Saint Peter and originating from an independent statue or an apostolic series that has since been lost, bears witness to this blending of influences.
The sinuous locks of the hair and beard, composed of alternating broad curls and tightly coiled strands, together with the expressive intensity of the facial features, point to the influence of sculpture from the Upper Rhine region. Comparisons may be drawn with statues of an Emperor and a Cleric, originating from the octagon of the spire of Strasbourg Cathedral, circa 1400–1410. Although now severely damaged, their original appearance is known through 19th century casts (circa 1400–1410; see Strasbourg 1400, op. cit., pp. 118–123). The forelock, which stands out distinctly at the top of the forehead, the gaunt cheeks with their prominent cheekbones, and the broad curls of the hair are also comparable to a figure of Saint Paul, another example of Strasbourg sculpture, dating from circa 1390 (Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame, Strasbourg, inv. MOND 301). The expressiveness of the face, with its almost caricatural features, also recalls the Saint Peter from the Fischmarktbrunnen (Fish Market Fountain) in Basel, dating to the 1380s (Historical Museum, Basel; see Strasbourg 1400, op. cit., p. 122, fig. 4).
However, whereas Upper Rhenish sculpture is distinguished by the almost exclusive use of sandstone, examination of the limestone from which the present head was carved indicates that it originated in ancient quarries in northern Burgundy, between the banks of the Yonne south of Auxerre and the area around Tonnerre. Its composition may also be compared with that of Normandy chalk. As the stone used for the present work is harder and denser than chalk, however, this second hypothesis seems unlikely. During the Middle Ages, this type of limestone, known as “pierre de Tonnerre”, was widely used in Burgundy, between Auxerre and Dijon, as well as in southern Champagne, around Troyes.
Indeed, the naturalistic treatment of the facial features and the meticulous attention to detail, such as the numerous wrinkles crossing the forehead and accentuating the corners of the eyelids, also point towards Burgundy in the final decades of the 14th century, in the circle of Jean de Marville, Claus Sluter and Claus de Werve, the great master sculptors responsible for the Chartreuse de Champmol. The verticality of the elongated, gaunt face of our Head of a Bearded Man may thus be compared with that of the fragmentary Christ from Sluter’s Crucifixion, circa 1395–1399, which once surmounted the Well of Moses (Musée archéologique, Dijon, inv. Arb. 1323). Also comparable is the realism of the faces of the elderly men represented as Prophets around the base of the well, their features weathered by time. These are emblematic of a shared cultural and artistic milieu.
A further comparison may be made with a Head of an Apostle dating from the late 14th century, originating from the chapel of the Château de Mehun-sur-Yèvre, property of Jean de Berry, where the building campaign was entrusted to André Beauneveu (see Le faste du gothique, op. cit., p. 155, no. 105; Louvre Museum, inv. RF 1979). The familial ties between the neighbouring duchies of Berry and Burgundy were also reflected in the artistic sphere. We know, moreover, that in 1393 Philip the Bold sent Claus Sluter and the painter Jean de Beaumetz to Berry, to study the prestigious project being undertaken for his brother, and to draw the lessons necessary to fulfil his own ambitions.
Another distinctive feature of our Head of a Bearded Man is its wooden base by Kichizō Inagaki (1876–1951), which helps document the work’s modern history. A graduate of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, Inagaki settled in Paris in July 1906. There, he revolutionised the conventions of framing and mounting through his seemingly minimalist approach to woodworking and his pared-back forms. He collaborated with dealers in non-Western art Paul Guillaume and Charles Ratton, as well as with Auguste Rodin, principally between 1912 and 1916, having met the sculptor through the antiquarian Joseph Brummer. In particular, he made frames for Egyptian reliefs that Rodin had acquired from Brummer (Musée Rodin, inv. Co.01040, Co.01050...
Eastern France, probably Northern Burgundy, circa 1400
Head of a Bearded Man, possibly Saint Peter
limestone, so-called 'pierre de Tonnerre'; on a wooden base by Kichizo Inagaki
inscribed: SN in red on the neck
head: 35cm., 13¾in.
50cm. high overall, 19¾in.
Catalogue Note:
International Gothic emerged from a new artistic flowering that began towards the end of the Hundred Years’ War. It developed in Western Europe, where intense diplomatic, familial and cultural relations were forged, and was shaped by the movement of architects, painters and sculptors from one court to another in search of new patrons. The result was a shared artistic language, tinged with certain regional characteristics. This imposing head, possibly representing Saint Peter and originating from an independent statue or an apostolic series that has since been lost, bears witness to this blending of influences.
The sinuous locks of the hair and beard, composed of alternating broad curls and tightly coiled strands, together with the expressive intensity of the facial features, point to the influence of sculpture from the Upper Rhine region. Comparisons may be drawn with statues of an Emperor and a Cleric, originating from the octagon of the spire of Strasbourg Cathedral, circa 1400–1410. Although now severely damaged, their original appearance is known through 19th century casts (circa 1400–1410; see Strasbourg 1400, op. cit., pp. 118–123). The forelock, which stands out distinctly at the top of the forehead, the gaunt cheeks with their prominent cheekbones, and the broad curls of the hair are also comparable to a figure of Saint Paul, another example of Strasbourg sculpture, dating from circa 1390 (Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame, Strasbourg, inv. MOND 301). The expressiveness of the face, with its almost caricatural features, also recalls the Saint Peter from the Fischmarktbrunnen (Fish Market Fountain) in Basel, dating to the 1380s (Historical Museum, Basel; see Strasbourg 1400, op. cit., p. 122, fig. 4).
However, whereas Upper Rhenish sculpture is distinguished by the almost exclusive use of sandstone, examination of the limestone from which the present head was carved indicates that it originated in ancient quarries in northern Burgundy, between the banks of the Yonne south of Auxerre and the area around Tonnerre. Its composition may also be compared with that of Normandy chalk. As the stone used for the present work is harder and denser than chalk, however, this second hypothesis seems unlikely. During the Middle Ages, this type of limestone, known as “pierre de Tonnerre”, was widely used in Burgundy, between Auxerre and Dijon, as well as in southern Champagne, around Troyes.
Indeed, the naturalistic treatment of the facial features and the meticulous attention to detail, such as the numerous wrinkles crossing the forehead and accentuating the corners of the eyelids, also point towards Burgundy in the final decades of the 14th century, in the circle of Jean de Marville, Claus Sluter and Claus de Werve, the great master sculptors responsible for the Chartreuse de Champmol. The verticality of the elongated, gaunt face of our Head of a Bearded Man may thus be compared with that of the fragmentary Christ from Sluter’s Crucifixion, circa 1395–1399, which once surmounted the Well of Moses (Musée archéologique, Dijon, inv. Arb. 1323). Also comparable is the realism of the faces of the elderly men represented as Prophets around the base of the well, their features weathered by time. These are emblematic of a shared cultural and artistic milieu.
A further comparison may be made with a Head of an Apostle dating from the late 14th century, originating from the chapel of the Château de Mehun-sur-Yèvre, property of Jean de Berry, where the building campaign was entrusted to André Beauneveu (see Le faste du gothique, op. cit., p. 155, no. 105; Louvre Museum, inv. RF 1979). The familial ties between the neighbouring duchies of Berry and Burgundy were also reflected in the artistic sphere. We know, moreover, that in 1393 Philip the Bold sent Claus Sluter and the painter Jean de Beaumetz to Berry, to study the prestigious project being undertaken for his brother, and to draw the lessons necessary to fulfil his own ambitions.
Another distinctive feature of our Head of a Bearded Man is its wooden base by Kichizō Inagaki (1876–1951), which helps document the work’s modern history. A graduate of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, Inagaki settled in Paris in July 1906. There, he revolutionised the conventions of framing and mounting through his seemingly minimalist approach to woodworking and his pared-back forms. He collaborated with dealers in non-Western art Paul Guillaume and Charles Ratton, as well as with Auguste Rodin, principally between 1912 and 1916, having met the sculptor through the antiquarian Joseph Brummer. In particular, he made frames for Egyptian reliefs that Rodin had acquired from Brummer (Musée Rodin, inv. Co.01040, Co.01050...
