Head of a Bearded Man, limestone, South France (Provence, Saint-Gilles-du-Gard), 1150-1175

This head of a bearded man is charactarised by precisely modelled eyes and carefully defined parallel strands of hair. It has been truncated at the neck.

Crypt of the Abbey Church of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard in 1910 (see photograph published in Charles-Roux 1910, p. 295); Dikran Kelekian, Paris, until 1941; Phillips Collection, Washington DC; purchased at Christie's (London, 8 December 1987, lot 97) for £12,265.

This head comes from the important Abbey Church of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, south of Arles. Although it was photographed in situ in the crypt before 1910, it is not clear where exactly in the abbey it was originally located. The sculpture does not appear to have been removed from the celebrated sculptural programme on the west façade of the church, but it is possible that it belonged to one of the side portals which no longer survive. Two large fragments of a tympanon showing four apostles at the Last Judgment, now at the Musée de la maison romaine in Saint-Gilles, probably also formed part of the side portals' sculptural decoration. The heads of these apostles are the same size as the present head, and also show stilistic similarities. It is possible that the present head also belonged to this group, although this must remain a conjecture.

The sculptures at Saint-Gilles-du-Gard represent the epitome of the Romanesque style in Provence, incorporating strong influences from the surrounding areas, but clearly affected by the considerable remains of classical sculpture to be found in the region. This head has an obvious classicising manner, and demonstrates the debt owed by Romanesque sculptors to antique sculpture.

It is likely that this head of a bearded man formed part of the sculptural programme over one of the side portals of the Abbey Church of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, Provence. The massive sculptural programme of the west façade of Saint-Gilles is one of the most impressive monuments of Romanesque art. The sculptures at Saint-Gilles-du-Gard represent the epitome of the Romanesque style in the Provence, incorporating strong influences from the surrounding areas, but clearly affected by the considerable remains of classical sculpture to be found in the region.

A.1-1988