Medieval sculptors were in no way impeded by the structural requirements of the stone they carved. Architectural features not customarily embellished by the Romans and Greeks, such as the shaft of the column, might nonetheless receive ornamentation drawn from a classical repertory (Toulouse columns, 21.172.1). At times an ancient slab might be recarved by a medieval sculptor, while at other times a handsome relief was simply refitted as is into a medieval setting (Sangemini Doorway, 47.100.45). Often the marble itself comes from ancient buildings. For example, the basic forms of the Corinthian capital, decorated with the acanthus motif, are persistently repeated and reinterpreted throughout the Middle Ages. Sculptural practices from classical antiquity had a large impact on medieval architectural sculpture. The very fabric of the building served as a field for a range of subjects, from complex theological ideas to biblical tales, from whimsical creatures to purely decorative foliate forms.Īrchitectural Sculpture and Classical Antiquity
While mosaics and wall paintings remained the preferred means of embellishing buildings in the Byzantine East, the Latin West came to rely a great deal upon carved stone. Some of the most inventive art of the Middle Ages appears in the expansive portals of churches, on the rectangular sides of piers, and on the cramped contours of column capitals. Much of the allure of medieval buildings derives from the sculpture that so frequently adorns them.
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