hand giving a scroll to St. Peter. Peter and Paul, who lead a group of six Apostles to
either side of Christ, were associated with Cluny, whose domains were dedicated to the
two saints. The apse painting also includes the chapel patrons, SS.Vincent, Lawrence,
and Blaise.
The rest of the chapel contains portrait busts of saints venerated at Cluny on the dado,
two martyrdoms (of SS. Blaise and either Vincent or Lawrence) in blind niches, and
figures of female saints in the spandrels of the arcade beneath the vault. Of ornamental
painting, part of the dado has trompe l’oeil curtains, and a pattern of flowers and leaves
defines the arch framing the apse. These paintings, displaying a strong Byzantine
influence on style, iconography, and format, have been dated to the early 12th century.
Later Romanesque wall painting was influenced by other media and in some instances
incorporated embellished reliefs. At the chapel of St. Michael in Rocamadour, the intense
blue background and linearity of the Annunciation and Visitation paintings show the
influence of Limoges enamels. In the Salle des Morts at the cathedral of Notre-Dame, Le
Puy, a wall painting of the Crucifixion in a large lunette covers the south wall. The
presence of proph
Crucifixion, Reims Sacrementary
(Reims), mid-12th century. MS 28, fol.
6v. Courtesy of the Walters Art
Gallery, Baltimore.
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