Masons Of God

[poliphilo]

I enjoyed this. I particularly liked the reconstruction of the West Front of Wells Cathedral as it was before all the paint washed off.  Has there ever been a movie set in the Middle Ages that  faithfully reflected the medieval delight in colour? 

Did we really lose 90% of our medieval sculpture at the Reformation? Who comes up with these figures anyway? When I'm out trundling round churches I'm always astonished by just how much survives.  Consider Wells: the statues on the west front are mostly still there- the only casualties having been caused- not by starchy chaps with hammers- but by wind and weather. Go into any moderately well preserved medieval church and the higher you look, the more sculpture there is to see-  Reformers and Puritans baulked at climbing ladders I think- and very sensible of them too. But, perhaps I'm in denial. It hurts to think of so much beauty being wantonly destroyed. 

Comments

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip-off.

I think a figure of 90% is probably spot-on. What about all the rood screens and figurines that were housed inside the churches? Scotland's medieval figurines are virtually non-existent, inside and out.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes- not many rood screens left. Most of our wooden statues went on the bonfire.

But we still have loads of misericords and tomb effigies and roof bosses and gargoyles.

I concede that Scotland is a lot worse off.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I love misericords. They're still a novelty to me.

We've lost even our roof bosses and our capitals. And if you think of what's survived at an abbey of the size of Fountains, and compare that with what must have been there originally, it makes you want to weep.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

And Fountains is the best preserved. That is, if you don't count the abbeys- like Gloucester- that remain in use as Anglican cathedrals.