Description
Carved for the abbey church of Saint-Denis (outside Paris), this Old Testament king presented a model of sacred rulership for the French kings who served as the patrons of the monastery. The head, from a pier (column) figure on the building's west façade, was broken off during the French Revolution, when the royal burial church became a key target for vandalism. This head reflects a moment of artistic transition. The carver still works in the abstracted Romanesque style, but incorporates elements based on the observation of nature, such as the soft rounding of the face and the wavy curls of hair. Artists would continue to expand upon this interest in naturalism in the Gothic and Renaissance periods.
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