MEDIEVAL SCULPTOR, English
(active 1170-1200 in Kent)

Portal (detail)

1170-1200
Photo
St Mary's Church, Patrixbourne, Kent

The English late Romanesque period runs roughly concurrently with the reigns of three kings, Stephen (1135-54), Henry II (1154-89) and Richard the Lion-Heart (1189-99), though the Gothic style arrived in England during the reign of Henry II with the building of the Temple Church in London around 1160. No large scale buildings were erected during the late Romanesque. The period was spent adding decorative features to the larger churches that had already been started and in building a few small treasures.

A prime example of the late Romanesque delight in ornamentation is the portal of the small church in Patrixbourne, Kent. The photo shows a detail of the archivolt of the portal of the church.