Patronage and the Burgundian court

Magazine Antiques, Oct, 2004 by Stephen N. Fliegel

An exquisite ivory of God the Father (Pl. XIII) presents a theme now known to be associated with Valois Burgundy--that of the standing Trinity (as opposed to the more conventional seated version). The figure derives from this rare iconography: the standing God supports with both hands the horizontal member of the cross bearing the figure of the crucified Christ. Just above the cross but beneath God's mouth floats the dove of the Holy Ghost. The ivory now lacks cross and dove, but its intended subject can be clearly adduced. The draping of God's left hand would appear to be a uniquely Burgundian feature and is found not only on this ivory but also on its monumental counterparts such as an example in the church at Genlis, near Dijon. (17)

The Chartreuse de Champmol was dedicated to the Trinity, thus providing ample opportunity for iconographical elaborations of this theme. The tondo in Plate II, for example, is the earliest known version of the Trinity with God the Father mourning over the body of his dead son. It is known that a sculpture of the Trinity was transported from the workshop of Jean de Marville (d. 1389) to Champmol on May 23, 1388. (18) It is also known that another sculpture of the Trinity once stood above the outer entrance to the duke's oratory at Champmol. (19) Both of these are now lost, but Philippe Verdier has argued that they were both standing versions of the Trinity. (20) The ivory in Plate XIII probably follows a now missing prototype. Given the importance of Trinitarian iconography at the chartreuse, it is not difficult to imagine that it was a portable devotional object made to accompany the itinerant Philip in his baggage as he moved from residence to residence. It would have thus served as an aidememoire and a visual link to the Chartreuse de Champmol. It has been suggested that the softer draperies of the ivory indicate the hand of Philip the Bold's court sculptor de Marville, who is known to have worked in ivory. (21) A document of 1377 reveals that the duke bought ivory from a Parisian supplier for de Marville's use. (22)

The Chartreuse de Champmol was founded for twenty-four monks and a prior, which was twice the usual number in a typical Carthusian foundation. (23) It was tragically destroyed in 1792 by the anti-aristocratic fervor of the French Revolution and its fabric sold for construction material, leaving only tantalizing fragments to evoke its former grandeur. A drawing by Aime Piron provides a perspective view of Champmol in 1686, a century before its destruction (see Pl. XV). Easily visible are the cells of the monks, the church, which formerly contained the ducal tombs, the ducal oratory, the chapterhouse, and the great cloister (335 feet across). At the center of the cloister is the so-called Well of Moses, Sluter's masterpiece (Pl. VIII), which miraculously survives in situ. Originally its hexagonal socle, or base, supported a Calvary group simulating the Hill of Golgotha. The Calvary group was largely destroyed during the eighteenth century, but fragments survive in the Musee archeologique in Dijon. These include a sublime torso of the crucified Christ (Pl. XIV), his lower legs, and the arms of the Magdalene. The sculptural program of the Well of Moses concentrates on the colossal hexagonal base with its depictions of six Old Testament figures identified by inscriptions as Moses, David, Jeremiah, Zachariah, Daniel, and Isaiah. Each figure stands on an individual console against one of the six facets of the socle, and each is accompanied by a scroll taken from his own writings that foretell the inevitability of Christ's suffering. The iconographic program derives from the prefiguration in the Old Testament of the events in the New Testament. (24) The extraordinary realism and pathos of the figures attest to Sluter's genius as a sculptor. The Well of Moses was constructed between 1395 and 1404. Documents in the Champmol reveal that Malouel was commissioned to paint the well and Herman of Cologne to gild it. Originally the arms of Burgundy and the initials of the duke and duchess were painted beneath the lower cornice. Much of the upper polychromy still survives today, leaving the imagination to recreate the brilliance of the well when new.