Des figures hors cadre
L’émergence du corps sculpté dans l’architecture de la Renaissance en France
abstract
Sculpted Renaissance medallions, inspired by ancient coins and clipeatae imagines, were developed in French monuments from around 1500 to 1550. First applied to the surface of the wall and restricted to a face, they showed, around 1530-1540, transformations related to the adaptation and variation of the body in the decoration. Characters in very high relief, sometimes represented up to the hips, were multiplied, freed from their frame, addressing the viewer and creating illusion games when they were placed in false windows. These decorations thus testify to the relationship between structure and sculpture and the growing humanisation of the wall.
Keywords: Medallions • Busts • Renaissance • Portraits • Ornament