and not confined within its frame, as was the practice in Romanesque sculpture. Above
the portals are three stained-glass windows, famed for the beautiful colors of their glass,
especially the blue.
The incipient monumentality of these Early Gothic examples of sculpture and stained
glass became apparent in all media of French Gothic art in the years just preceding and
following 1200. This period in French Gothic art goes by several names, including the
“Year 1200 style” and muldenfaltenstil (or “damp-fold style”) for the clinging drapery
folds with characteristic hairpin loops that cover the figures. Monumental sculpture offers
many examples of this stylistic phenomenon. Dating from ca. 1170, the west portal of
Senlis cathedral, with the death, assumption, and coronation of the Virgin, clearly shows
the plastic, three-dimensional quality of figures revealed through the soft draperies and
the tender emotional expression. The north-transept portals at Chartres demonstrate a
well-
Dormition of the Virgin. Sculpture
from the central portal of the west
façade of Senlis cathedral. 13th
century. Reprinted by permission of
Giraudon/Art Resource, New York.
developed version of this style ca. 1200. As sculptural workshops moved to different
locations, the style extended to many outlying areas, such as Alsace. The Death of the
Virgin tympanum on the south portal of Strasbourg cathedral, carved ca. 1225, is one of
the most beautiful monuments of Gothic art. The graceful bodies are revealed through
clinging drapery, and the expression of contained grief is especially moving.
The Year 1200 style is evident in other media as well. The formal relationships of
metalwork and sculpture make the style especially apparent in altarpieces and reliquaries
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