In this work succeeding those he devoted to Villard de Honnecourt and Reims Cathedral, Jean Wirth discusses Chartres Cathedral, from the reconstruction of the facade after 1134 to that of the rest of the building between 1194 and 1260. There he studied sculpture and stained glass windows while situating them in the progression of the architectural site.
A good number of essential questions had remained unanswered and opinions clashed, often for a long time, without making either winner or loser.
To find solutions, it was necessary to solve an equation with several unknowns. Indeed, it is impossible to arrive at a chronology without understanding the organization of the worksites or to understand the organization of the worksites without having a chronology. Establishing the chronology presupposes a good appreciation of the duration of the tasks. This duration depends on the number and skill of the men assigned to it, but the few written sources we have tell us nothing about it. On this subject, we have to content ourselves with the clues provided by the monument itself, the interpretation of which depends on hypotheses, sometimes expressed, too often tacit. This was one of the most important points to clarify.
Finally, the iconography had to be rethought. We wondered to what extent that of the stained glass windows had been programmed or done on an ad hoc basis. To these questions too, new answers are given.
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Contents
Introduction
First chapter. The new facade
The construction of the western facade
The iconography of the royal portal of Chartres Cathedral
Excursus Human teams: history and legend
Chapter II. Reconstruction (1194-1260)
The fire of 1194
The pace of work
The portals of the transept
Porches
The rood screen
On the chronology of stained glass windows
Work stoppages and restarts
new sculptors
Stained glass and sculpture
Chartres iconography from the 13th century
Conclusion
Bibliography
List of illustrations
Index
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