![]() Signature, at least to the twenty-firstcentury mind. “Gislebertus.” It does make sense to think of the inscription “Gislebertus made me” as a kind of artist’s This argument was convincing, although not without its flaws.Īlmost immediately, the hypothesis was widely accepted, and an entire body of work was attributed to Well as the capital reliefs at Saint-Lazare. Supported previously made claims that Gislebertus was an artist who carved the Last Judgment relief as You will remember that one of the inscriptions on the relief says “Gislebertus made me.” In the midtwentieth century, a pair of well-respected medieval art historians published a paper in which they That such a conversion was its intended purpose. Never know how many people changed from “sinner” to “saint” because of this relief, but we do know The associations between the scene of the Last Judgment and the relics of Lazarus, whom the faithfulīelieved had been resurrected from the dead, probably resonated strongly with the viewer. The “symbolic shorthand” was easily understood, and the message was direct. Main portal to the church, the Last Judgment relief was doubtless a powerful image for the twelfthcentury Christian. By virtue of its size and its visibility above the Was generally understood throughout medieval Europe. The use of images in works such as these were a “symbolic shorthand.” This shorthand In fact, it is symbols rather than text or words that identify the major actors in this The symbols in the relief are common in medieval art and would have been easy for the contemporary Those who follow crime I judge and punish.”ĭirectly below the right foot of Jesus: “GISLEBERTUS HOC FECIT” (“Gislebertus made me”). On the mandorla surrounding the central figure: “I alone dispose of all things and crown the just, On the lintel, below the damned, on the right: “Here let fear strike those whom earthly error binds,įor their fate is shown by the horror of these figures.” Impious life, and endless light of day shall shine for him.” On the lintel, below the blessed, on the left: “Thus shall rise again everyone who does not lead an The carving includes several inscriptions in Latin, which was the language of the Church: Gislebertus, Last Judgment, 1135, Cathedral of Saint Lazare at Autun, FranceĪuthor: Daniel Gaudry. Including those of demons and angels struggling over a scale as souls are weighed. ![]() Right), and the damned (on Jesus’s left), doomed to hell. To the sides of the central figure are the blessed, who will spend eternity in paradise (on Jesus’s Angels accompany him, shown in the center section of the Wearing a halo and placed within a mandorla. Presiding over Judgment Day will be Jesus, who, in the Autun relief, is the large figure in the center Each person’s fate will be determined by his or her earthly beliefs and deeds. Judgment is the time during which all people will be judged and mandated to live for eternity in heaven, Were recognizable and meaningful to the twelfth-century Christian. TheĪrchitecture and architectural decoration work together to relate the religious message. This relief is part of an extensive program of images that relays a specific message to the viewer. On the capitals of the columns and pilasters: these reliefs include some of the finest extant examples ofĪ relief sculpture depicting the Last Judgment sits above the main portal of the cathedral (see image). It is safe to assume that, over the centuries, they were movedĪround.) Walking through the church, you would have encountered reliefs with Christian imagery carved (The relics of Lazarus have since disappeared, and we do not Or through one of the transept arms and made your way to the altar area, where the relics would haveīeen displayed in one of the side chapels. Get to the reliquary holding the saint’s remains, you would have entered either through the main portal Once inside this church, your destination as a pilgrim would have been the bones of Saint Lazarus. ![]() TheĬathedral of Saint-Lazare housed the remains of Lazarus, a man identified in the Gospels as having been Case Study: Last Judgment from Saint-Lazare (Autun)Ĭase Study: Last Judgment from Saint-Lazareĭuring the medieval period, Saint-Lazare was a typical cathedral visited by believers on pilgrimage. Posted: October 18th, 2022 Case Study: Last Judgment from Saint-Lazare
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