SLUTER, Claus
(b. ca. 1350, Haarlem, d. 1406, Dijon)

Tomb of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (detail)

1390-1406
Alabaster
Musée Archéologique, Dijon

The picture shows a mourner, from the Tomb of Philip the Bold.

The sculptor had the original idea of transforming the traditional row of figures set in niches into a procession of mourners, moving freely behind an arcade and realistically suggesting the funeral cortege. The artist exploited the expressive possibilities of their voluminous woolen robes, into whose folds he carved the pathos of living beings confronting death. Despite their small size the mourners are works of remarkable monumentality. No volume is without function in the art of Sluter, and the powerfully built body beneath the rough homespun is clearly indicated.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.