Methodology

The purpose of this study is to consider the history and significance of medieval polychrome sculpture as related to this object and to

take note of its physical condition prior to conservation scientists’

analysis of its polychromy. The research for this study falls into two

broad categories: “Gothic Sculpture,” pertinent to the history of

medieval polychromy and various topics relevant to the Crucifixion sculpture’s attribution, and “Technical Concerns,” covering the

production and significance of medieval polychrome sculpture and

observations noted in the Crucifixion sculpture’s surface

examination.

Technical Concerns

In the case of sculptures whose origin is not

known definitively, a clearer understanding

of the manner in which they were prepared

and painted will lend insight on their history. Polychroming processes varied, but it is

likely that a limestone sculpture like this

would have been primed with a gesso-like

sealant of oil, lead white, and other

pigments before receiving coats of paint and/or gilding.4 The presence of this layer is

evidenced by raking tool marks scattered

across the the sculpture.

Paint losses reveal the existence of multiple

layers of colour, suggesting that the

sculpture may have been repainted. Notably, the orange and green surface

discolorations likely conceal lower layers of

paint and may indicate the (previous)

presence of gilding.

The Burrell Collection’s Crucifixion with Virgin and Five

Saints: A case study of medieval polychromy

Carter Lyon Technical Art History, Making & Meaning MLitt

Gothic Sculpture

Though medieval stone sculpture is often

associated with whiteness, the vibrant

colouring of the Crucifixion sculpture offers

a more accurate idea of how such works were intended to look. Polychrome

sculptures were commonly found in

churches throughout the Middle Ages.1

Considered to help facilitate the faithful’s

encounter with the divine, sculptures were painted so to heighten their life-likeness and

their visibility in dimly-lit spaces.2

Notably, the portrayal of the crucified Christ

surrounded by saints in an unregistered,

rectangular stone panel is consistent with

stylistic trends seen on altarpieces produced from the fourteenth century on.3

Furthermore, iconographic similarities

between this sculpture and known Gothic

altarpieces legitimise its presentation as

such.

Conclusions

The manner in which the Burrell Collection’s

curators interpret Crucifixion with Virgin and

Five Saints will essentially determine the

object’s history. Comparisons of the sculpture to known altarpieces suggest that

its long-held classification as such is

reasonable—however, further investigation

into the iconography of other types of

medieval sculpture would assist in refining its possible identities.

Forthcoming technical analyses will

enhance present understanding of the

object, revealing insight on the work’s

earlier colouration(s) and/or gilding. The

findings of these studies, coupled with a greater understanding of painted religious

sculpture’s historic significance, will offer

museum goers and scholars valuable

insight on this important material dimension

of medieval Christian culture.

Supervisors: Dr Mark Richter, University of Glasgow | Pippa Stephenson and Dr Rachel King, Glasgow Museums

Introduction

As the Burrell Collection plans to redisplay its galleries, the long-held “histories” of certain objects are coming under scrutiny. The

Crucifixion with Virgin and Five Saints sculpture is one such

example: its present wall text describes the polychrome (painted)

limestone panel as a late fifteenth-century Burgundian altarpiece.

While no record cites the source of this attribution, it may have stemmed from a previous curator’s interpretation of information

offered by the object’s dealer, M&R Stora. Given the outstanding

quality of its polychromy, curators are keen to make it a highlight

of the future Colour Gallery, but will reconsider its attribution.

References 1 Marco Collareta, “From Color to Black and White, and Back Again: the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times,” in The Color of Life: Polychromy in Sculpture from Antiquity to the Present, ed. Roberta Panzanelli et al. (Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2008), 65; 2 David Park, “The Polychromy of English Medieval Sculpture,” in Wonder: Painted Sculpture from

Medieval England, ed. Stacy Boldrick and Stephen Feeke (Leeds: Henry Moore Institute, 2002), 42; Stacy Boldrick, “Introduction,” in Wonder: Painted Sculpture from Medieval England,

ed. Stacy Boldrick and Stephen Feeke (Leeds: Henry Moore Institute, 2002), 15; 3 Pierre-Yves Le Pogam, “Les retables au XIVe siècle,” Les Premiers Retables (XIIe- Début du XVe

siècle): Une mise en scène du sacré, ed. Pierre-Yves Le Pogam and Christine Vivet-Peclet (Paris: Musée du Louvre, 2009), 91; 4 Sophie Guillot de Suduiraut, “Quelques reflexions sur la

polychromie des sculptures en France dans la seconde moitié et au XVIe siècle,” Techne 39 (2014): 100.

All of the above photographs were taken by Carter Lyon in January and March 2017.

Retable (Altarpiece) 44.36[1-2]. French,

Burgundy, c. 1450-1500,

polychrome limestone, The

Burrell Collection,

Glasgow. Photograph by

Carter Lyon

Detail of Christ and the Virgin highlighting

surface discolorations. The panel’s split along

Christ’s body was not found in any similar

sculptures seen in this

study.

Detail from lower left border revealing two

layers of polychromy. These red and green

remnants may suggest two separate painting

campaigns.

Detail of the vine, a symbol associated

with the Eucharist. This symbolism

supports the sculpture’s

classification as an

altarpiece.

Photograph by CL Photograph by CL Photograph by CL