De Haute-Normandie Corpus Vitrearum France, Serie Complementaire, Recensement Des Vitraux Anciens De La France, Volume VI
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Rezensionen mente, aber auch fur die panoramatischen und zuriickwirft. Die Irritation, die von diesen chronophotographischen Bilder dessen, was Apparaturen und Instrumenten ausgeht, weist sich, folgt man der Kblner Ausstellungsthese, die Leistungsfahigkeit unseres analytischen das vorkinematographische Zeitalter nennen Sehens in ihre Schranken und ermoglicht lieEe. gerade dadurch eine ganz andere Perspektive, Da sowohl die Kolner Ausstellung als auch die namlich die auf uns selbst. Und so liegt das des Getty ihre Exponate nicht ausschliefilich Verdienst beider Ausstellungsunternehmen im musealen Modus petrifizierter Entriicktheit wohl weniger in der umfassenden Prasenta- prasentierte, sondern Spielraum fur die eigene tion einer veritablen Technik- und Appa- taktile Anwendung ausgewahlter Exponate rategeschichte vorkinematographischer Me- gewahrte, stellte sich dem derart animierten dien und Effekte, als im anschaulich vermittel- Betrachter unwillkiirlich die Frage, wie denn ten Erkenntnisgewinn, dal? wir es sind, die diese Apparate funktionierten, was denn bei diese Phanomene im Zusammenspiel von deren Anblick geschehe. So beruht die Faszi- physiologischer Wahrnehmung und psychi- nation nicht nur auf einem Modus des Spiels, schem Bildverarbeitungsprozef? erst pro- wie ihn Johan Huizinga in seiner beruhmten duzieren. Damit wiederum behandelten beide Schrift liber den homo ludens 1938 als eine Ausstellungen in ebenso anschaulicher wie Tatigkeit »mit einer ganz eigenen Tendenz« eindringlicher Weise implizit auch die Frage ausgewiesen hat (Homo Ludens: Versuch nach dem Bild, die die Kunstwissenschaft einer Bestimmung des Spielelements in der umtreibt. Fragen wir nach dem Bild - so kann Kultur [1938]. Amsterdam und Basel, Burg- man die Devices of Wonder und die Seh- Vlg. 1944, S. 13), sondern vielmehr auf einem maschinen und Bildenvelten heute wohl ver- ganzbesonderen Modus der Wahrnehmung, stehen -mlissen wir immer auch nach uns der unseren Blick immer wieder auf uns selbst selbst fragen. Lars Blunck Martine Callias Bey, Veronique Chausse, Franchise Gatouillat, Michel Herold Les vitraux de Haute-Normandie Corpus Vitrearum France, serie complementaire, Recensement des vitraux anciens de la France, volume VI. CNRS. Inventaire general des monuments et des richesses artistiques de la France. Paris, CNRS Editions I Monum, Editions du patrimoine 2001. 495 pp. with 341 b/w ill.; 59 colour plates. ISBN 2-85822-314-9 Since its inception in 1949, the Corpus Vi include works of stained glass among the cen trearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) has spearheaded tral accomplishments of artists and patrons a reawakening of interest in pre-modern alike during this period. This signals a dra stained glass. There is growing recognition matic shift in emphasis, for beginning in the across a broad spectrum of interests that late 16th century, this once dynamic medium stained glass constituted one of the most plunged into an oblivion that only began to expensive and prestigious pictorial mediums dissipate in the mid-i9th century, when both in Europe between the 12th and mid-i6th glaziers and researchers were forced to start, centuries, and authors of general studies of virtually ex nihilo, to rediscover the complex medieval art increasingly feel obliged to ities and the remarkable aesthetic qualities of 222 Rezensionen stained glass. While the discipline of art his material that needed to be dealt with: it has tory has more adamantly resisted the re-inser been claimed that France contains more tion of stained glass into the study of Renais medieval stained glass than the entire rest of sance art, old barriers are rapidly being bro the world, and there is an enormous amount ken down, and the dismissive category of the from the Renaissance, as well. This was the »Decorative Arts« is well on the way to initial rationale for the series, » Recensement becoming a strictly historical phenomenon.des vitraux anciens de la France^, which was Perhaps the most formidable impediment to initiated in 1972 by Jean Taralon, Fran^oise this resurgence of interest in stained glass is Perrot and Louis Grodecki and conceived as a access both to the primary material itself and collaboration between the CVMA, the Inven- to scholarly study of it. This was the challenge taire general des monuments et des richesses facing the fledgling CVMA, which set itself the artistiques de la France and the Centre task of conducting fundamental research on national de la recherche scientifique. all surviving pre-modern stained glass and This volume, covering Haute-Normandie, is subsequently publishing it. In the heady the sixth in the Recensement series, and it enthusiasm of its youth, nobody perhaps real almost completes coverage of northern ized the full extent of the prodigious task that France. The previous volumes are: Louis lay ahead. In order simply to ascertain how Grodecki, Frangoise Perrot and Jean Taralon, much restoration a panel of stained glass has Les vitraux de Paris, de la Region parisienne, undergone, scrupulous examination is re de la Picardie et du Nord-Pas-de-Calais, quired, and this ideally necessitates dismount Recensement vol. I (Paris, 1978); Les vitraux ing the panel for study at close range in a du Centre et des Pays de la Loire, Recensement restoration workshop. In a single church, hun vol. II (Paris, 1981); Les vitraux de Bour dreds of panels might require such study. This gogne, Franche-Comte et Rhone-Alpes, Re may serve as an indication of the logistical and censement vol. Ill (Paris, 1986); Les vitraux de financial difficulties faced by the teams of Champagne-Ardenne, Recensement vol. IV CVMA researchers who have laboured at this (Paris, 1992); Michel Herold and Fran^oise laudable project over the intervening half cen Gatouillat, Les vitraux deLorraine et d’Al tury. sace, Recensement vol. V (Paris, 1994). Only Since the CVMA was organized by national Basse-Normandie, Bretagne and the south of committee, the difficulties of carrying out the France (which contains much less stained glass project of making all pre-modern stained glass than the north) are yet to appear. accessible to researchers have varied accord This volume is particularly welcome, since ing both to the regional exigencies of survival, Normandy was animportant manufacturing damage and restoration and to the organiza region for window glass, particularly during tion of each national committee. The French the Renaissance, and contains important sur committee managed to produce some of the vivals of stained glass from a number of peri first monographs published by the CVMA. ods. Although fragments of Carolingian They were also the first national committee to stained glass have recently been found during publish a study volume, envisioned as a help excavations at Rouen Cathedral, stained glass fulauxiliary step in publishing a more mono is not plentiful in Normandy before the 13th graphic treatment. The extent of surviving century. The earliest works to survive in situ stained glass in France also occasioned the ini date only from c.1200, and only later in the tiation of a series of regional inventory vol 13th century are survivals plentiful. Many of umes, both to aid in safeguarding thisinvalu the latter partake of the “mannerist” style that able heritage and to catalogue the scale of the characterized court patronage. The impor- 223 Rezensionen tance of Rouen as a glazing centre is already ensembles as those at Caudebec-en-Caux, evident at this time, and during the 14th cen Bernay, Verneuil-sur-Avre, and, of course, tury, it emerges in a blaze of glory. both Rouen and Evreux. The significance of Normandy for French Survivals of 15th-century stained glass in Nor stained glass during the early 14th century is mandy are much richer than previously, but due not only to such splendid surviving ensem the Renaissance eclipses all previous periods. bles as those in the east ends of Saint-Ouen in The amount of early 16th-century stained Rouen and Evreux Cathedral, but in the evi glass inventoried in this volume comes as a dently close connections with court produc revelation. Of the 1,367 stained glass win tion in Paris, where nothing at all has survived dows, in 230 buildings, inventoried in Haute- from this period. Some of the earliest evidence Normandie, 863date from the 16th century, for the use of silver stain comes from Nor and of those, 756 date from the first half of the mandy, and Rouen appears to have been 16th century. What is more, the authors have instrumental in the development of the rich provided much more than an inventory. Care tradition of architectural canopywork that ful archival research has gone beyond past distinguishes French stained glass of this studies to provide a valuable contribution to period. There is also significant evidence in scholarship. A more nuanced picture of Re Norman stained glass for the importation of naissance stained glass in Normandy is pre Italianate forms of spatial representation, dis sented than has previously been possible. Not cussion of which is usually more exclusively only are the major glazing workshops and limited to the manuscript illuminations of artists - such as Jean and Engrand Le Prince, Jean Pucelie and his followers.Arnoult de Nimegue, Romain Buron, several Normandy becomes even more singular in the generations of the Le Vieil family, etc. - placed later 14th century, when the Hundred Years in both a regional context and in the broader War largely disrupted the production of scope of the evolving French Renaissance.