North Rose Window at Notre Dame Cathedral of Chartres
Artist: Anonymous
1235
Stained Glass
This iconic rose window, resplendent with rich color that makes it a masterwork of Gothic stained glass, depicts the Madonna and Child at its center. They are surrounded by twelve panels, radiating like the petals of a flower and depicting doves representing the gifts of the spirit and angels holding candles. In the next ring, 12 square windows placed at various angles show the Old Testament Kings of Judah, while small quatrefoils bear the fleur-de-lis, the symbol of France. The outer ring’s half circles show the Old Testament prophets, while just below the rose window, four lancet windows on either side carry the insignia of the kingdoms of France in blue and gold and of Castile in red and gold, noting the window’s patron, Queen Blanche of Castile. Five lancet windows below depict King Melchizedek, King David, the Virgin Mary as a child being held by St. Anne, her mother, in the center, and King Solomon and the high priest Aaron. These figures are portrayed as standing upon a defeated enemy; for instance, a vignette below King David’s feet depicts King Saul committing suicide.
this masterpiece of stained glass is at Chartres, France
Ognissanti Madonna
Artist: Giotto di Bondone
1310
Painting
This altarpiece, painted for the Florentine Church of Ognissanti, had a profound impact on religious art. Older Byzantine styles were often two-dimensional and rigid. They didn’t make much of a connection to the viewer. Giotto di Bondone ushered in a form that was more human and less flat. Without Giotto’s work, we may have never had the Renaissance movement.
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