The Voluminous Mode

The sculptural forms espoused by the carvers of the sculpture of the western and southern portals (c.1220-c.1260) can be understood in relation to production in cathedrals like Laon, Reims and Paris. Then came the elegant narratives of the choir screen (c.1260-c.1270) which also can be understood in relation to Paris. Production did not stop in the fourteenth century as attested by the figures attached to the nave chapels. Work on the chapels reached a crescendo with the two western units on the north side founded by Cardinal Jean de la Grange (c.1370-c.1380) who had been bishop. The figures of the family of King Charles V, members of his court and his patron saints introduce a new mode into sculptural production at Amiens. Faces are highly lifelike: we are in the early age of portraiture. Bodies are cloaked in bulky drapery which takes on a dynamic life of its own. This "European Style" (Otto Pächt) may by linked with the work of Claus Sluter for the Duke of Burgundy.