The Revival of the Standing-Portrait Statue: Charles…
1387 CE
The Revival of the Standing-Portrait Statue: Charles V and Jeanne de Bourbon (c. 1387)
Around 1387, lifelike stone statues of King Charles V of France and his queen, Jeanne de Bourbon, were executed for the Hospice Chapel of the Quinze-Vingts in Paris. These sculptures marked the revival of the standing-portrait statue, a form of representation that had disappeared in Western art since late Roman times.
Significance of the Standing-Portrait Statue
- Unlike earlier Gothic statuary, which often depicted figures in idealized or religious contexts, these sculptures of Charles V and Jeanne de Bourbon were among the first true standing portraits since antiquity.
- The statues reflected increased naturalism and individuality, a hallmark of late medieval artistic developments.
- They anticipated the Renaissance tradition of full-length portrait sculpture, which would flourish in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Quinze-Vingts Hospice Chapel Commission
- The Quinze-Vingts hospital and chapel, originally founded in 1254 by Louis IX, served as a charitable institution for the blind.
- Charles V’s patronage of the chapel included the commissioning of these sculptures, likely intended to commemorate his rule and religious devotion.
Impact on Late Gothic Sculpture
- These statues signaled a renewed interest in individual representation, moving beyond the stiff, formulaic depictions of earlier Gothic sculpture.
- The realistic posture, drapery, and facial details reflected broader trends toward humanism in late medieval art.
- The commission influenced later sculptors who would further develop the art of lifelike portraiture in stone.
The standing-portrait statues of Charles V and Jeanne de Bourbon (c. 1387) mark a pivotal moment in Western sculpture, reviving a form lost since antiquity and paving the way for greater naturalism in later portraiture.
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