L'ange pleureur, the weeping angel, is one of the most famous works of art in the cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens. During World War I, postcards bearing its image were sent far and wide by Allied soldiers who had come to defend Amiens and the Somme from German forces.
The weeping angel was sculpted by Amiens artist Nicolas Basset in 1628.
The sculptures above and below adorn the tomb of a man named Charles de Vitry and were put in place in the early 18th century.
Above is the Christ child carrying an iron cross and trampling the Serpent. I think all these statues might be the work of Nicolas Basset, who one article I saw described as un étonnant sculpteur baroque...
Yes, the weeping angel is the most famous sculpture in Amiens cathedral.
ReplyDeleteOh, that child’s face on the tomb of de Vitry! So soft, so sad, exquisite.
ReplyDeleteWar is so sad and yet we keep making it. The angel is beautiful. The Christ statue stamping the snake is unique.
ReplyDelete1628!
ReplyDeleteThese sculptures are all beautifully done and remind me of Carpeaux, but he was much later. Something powerful about the gaze of the weeping angel/putti toward the skull. Melancholy that fit with wartime?
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you, David.
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