The Iconography of the Virgin Portal at Amiens

Author(s): Marcia R. Rickard

Reviewed work(s):
Source: Gesta, Vol. 22, No. 2 (1983), pp. 147-157
Published by: International Center of Medieval Art
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/766923 .
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The Iconography of the Virgin
MARCIAR. RICKARD
Saint Mary's College, Indiana
Abstract
The sculpture of the Virgin Portal of Amiens Cathe-
dral is composed of generally common iconographic
elements, but they are in a unique combination. The
Coronation, or Triumph, of the Virgin in the tympa-
num is one of the most prevalent scenes of the thir-
teenth century, the Virgin being symbolic of the
Church as well as being the Bride of Christ. The jamb
figures create a sharp contrast between royal figures
on one side (Sheba, Solomon, Herod, and the Three
Magi) and Biblical figures on the other (the Annuncia-
tion, the Visitation, and the Presentation of Christ). On
the dado, 24 quatrefoil reliefs drawn from Biblical and
Apocryphal sources illustrate events or prophecies
related to the jamb figures above them. Beneath the
Magi, six reliefs tell of the search for Christ, empha-
sizing the Gentiles' recognition of the True Faith. Even
royalty, then, bow to the Virgin (i.e., the Church) who
is crowned in the tympanum; Sheba came to Solomon
for the wisdom of the True Faith as shown in the
quatrefoils. The opposite jamb reliefs emphasize the
purity of the Virgin and of John the Baptist an exhor-
tation to both church- and laymen to lead pious,
obedient lives. The portal appeared at a time in the
thirteenth century when the Church in Rome was
struggling for internal unity through increasingly cen-
tralized control, as well as for secular influence on the
European political stage. The Virgin Portal at Amiens
reflects these issues.
In the Dom Greniercollection, now in the Biblio-
theque Nationale in Paris, is a thirteenth-centurysermon
from Picardy in which the cure urges his parishionersto
go on a pilgrimageto the recentlyconstructedcathedralof
Amiens.l The reasons for such a suggestionare obvious.
Certainlythe cathedralwas the architecturalwonder of
the province,a true monumentto the inspirationof God;
and its famous relics, such as the forehead of John the
Baptist,attractedthe faithful from all of France. But the
cathedralof Amienswas also a teacherwhose lessonswere
aimed at everyone from illiterate peasants to educated
clergyand royalty. Perhapsthis is the primaryreasonthe
priestadvised his congregationto go. The vast amountof
sculpture on the west fac,ade serves two purposes: to
lighten and screen the buttresses,and to instructall who
stood beforeit.
The sculptureis positionedin a very logical, readable
progression.The side portalsdedicatedto St. Firminand
the Virgin illustrate the path to salvation in the Last
Judgment of the central portal. The buttress prophets
progress from the minor prophets at the edges to the
CESTA XXII/2 ' The International Center of Medieval Art 1983
Portal at Amiens
majorprophetsflankingthe Apostles of the centerdoor.2
The quatrefoils on the base are aligned much like a
horizontalBible Moralisee anotherwork of art meantto
instruct and their didactic,simplifiedqualityis designed
for clarityand immediaterecognition.3
Fire consumedthe Romanesquecathedralof Amiens,
leaving only the treasuryand its contents of saintssrelics
untouched.Bishop Arnoul de la Pierrewrote in 1241that
the fire took place under the episcopate of Evrard de
Fouilloy (d. 1222).4Althoughno precisedate was given, it
was established in the eighteenth century to have been
1218, the date adopted by Durand.sThe authors of the
Gallia Christiana,however,placed the fire in 1220.6The
oldest documentconcerningthe actualconstructionof the
cathedralappearsin 1236in a charterof BishopGeoffroy
dsEu,althoughit is assumedthat buildingbeganca. 1220,
accordingto the now-destroyedlabyrinth.7Bishop Evrard
and the chapterhired the architectRobert de Luzarches,
who, according to the traditional dating establishedby
Durand, supervisedthe first campaignof the fac,ade,ex-
cluding the towers, the nave, and the west aisles of the
transept,whichwerecompletedby 1233.The fac,adesculp-
ture would then have been executed and positioned be-
tween 1220/1225 and 1236. More recently, however,
Erlande-Brandenburg concludedthat work on the fac,ade
could not have begun before 1236, according to both
architecturalevidencein the first two bays of the nave and
documentationconcerning removal of the surrounding
buildingsduringconstruction.The fac,adewas then raised
rapidlyto the triforiumlevel, probablybetween 1237and
1238. This re-evaluationraises questions about the style,
but not the iconographyof the sculpture.
The sculpture of the west fac,adewas in excellent
conditionwhen restorationof the buildingcommencedin
the nineteenthcentury.Restorationof the sculpturebegan
in 1840 and was carefullysupervisedby the architectof
the Departmentof the Somme, Cheussey.Small details,
such as fingersor hands of the jamb statuesof the Virgin
Portal, have been replaced,but the only head which is
modern is that of the Christ Child on the trumeau.8The
lintels, tympanum,and archivoltsare almost untouched,
and, as a whole, the Virgin Portalssstate of preservation
injectsno difficultiesinto the studyof its iconography.
Although the combinationof subjectsportrayedon
the Virgin Portal is unusual,individualelementsare, for
the most part,easilyidentified.The tympanumbearingthe
Coronation,or Triumph,of the Virginis one of the most
prevalentof thirteenth-centuryimages (Figs. 1, 2). Senlis
147
FIGURE 1. Amiens, C.athedral,Virgin Portal, 1220/1225-1236(.2)(photo:
author).
providedthe modelfor most of the subsequentCoronation
portals, but the designerat Amiens elaboratedupon the
original.9The Virgin Mary is seated at the right hand of
Christ while an angel crowns His Bride. As Queen of
Heaven and Bride of Christ, Mary is also the Church.
Thusthe Coronationbearswitnessto the close and perma-
nent bond between Christ in Heaven and His Churchin
Rome. The upper lintel contains two scenes of the Death
and Assumptionof the Virgin,while in the lower lintel six
prophets of the Old Testament, including Aaron and
Moses, flank the Ark of the Covenant. Mary, enthroned
above the Ark of the Covenant,is seen as the living Ark,
the purest of vessels for the New Law of Christ. Of the
three rows of archivolts, the inner one bears censing
angels;the center,the Kingsof Judah of the Tree of Jesse;
and the outer, the non-royalfiguresof the Tree of Jesse.
This combinationis based closely on the VirginPortal of
Notre Dame at Paris, althoughits Death and Assumption
are combined into one scene and the lower lintel bears
kingsratherthan prophets.
The trumeauand socle are also modeled on the left
portal at Paris as described by Gilbert.l The trumeau
148
FIGURE 2. Amiens, Cathedral, tympanum, Coronation, Death, and
Assumption of the Virgin(photo: eopyright James Austin).
figure at Amiens is a standingcrownedVirgincarryinga
ChristChild in her left arm. She tramplesbeneathherfeet
a serpent with the face of a woman; this representsher
victoryover slanderersand heretics.1l The socle supporting
the Virgin bears six scenes from the story of Adam and
Eve. Many parallelshave been drawnbetween Maryand
Eve, but it is Mary'spuritythat is in strongestcontrastto
all Eve represents.
The six large jamb figures on the left splay of the
VirginPortal are all royal participants(Figs. 3, 4). Next to
the door are the Three Magi bearing gifts. Two are
turning in adoration to the Virgin of the trumeau;the
third, toward Herod who stands to their right. Herod,an
unprecedentedfigure for such a prominentplace, has a
furrowed, malevolent, almost metallic face. Beside him
standSolomon and Sheba.
Beneath the figures of the Magi eight quatrefoils
elaborate their story (Figs. 6, 7, 8). The Magi cycle at
Amiensis one of the largest,includingtwo Old Testament
prophesies,the Magi before Herod, the Massacreof the
Innocents,the Dreamof the Magi,the Escapein the Ships
of Tarsus,the Burningof the Ships of Tarsus,and Herod
FIGURE 3. Amiens, Cathedral,left jamb, Solomon and Sheba(photo: FIGURE 4. Amiens, Cathedral,left jamb, Herod, the Magi (photo:
HirmerFotoarchiv). HirmerFotoarchiv).

Orderingtheir Burning.Indeed, if one includesthe con-

sequencesof Herod'sactions the Flight into Egypt and
the Fall of the Idols it expands still further onto the
reliefsof the rightjamb.
The originsof the celebrationof the Adorationof the
Magi are obscure,but it certainlyarose in the East before
the fourth century. At that time the single feast of
Epiphany,held on January6, was meantto celebrateonly
the Baptism of Christ. It was at the beginning of the
fourth century that the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem
becameassociatedwith Epiphany.l2The feast of Epiphany
reachedthe Westin the fifth centuryas evidencedby eight
sermons preachedby Pope Leo the Great for the feast.l3
For him, the coming of the Magi was the evident sign of
the vocation of the Gentiles.The Three Magi representall
people of the universe,and the star whichenlightenedthe
eyes of the Magi and not the Israelites signifies the
light revealed to the Gentiles and the blindness of the
Jews. FIGURE 5. Amiens, Cathedral,right jamb, Annunciation,Visitation,
The Amienscycle drawsmost of its imageryfrom the Presentationof Christ (photo: Arch. Phot., Paris/SPADEM/VACA,
Bible, either from Old Testamentprophesy or the New New York).

149
Left Jamb

Sheba Solomon Herod Magus Magus Magus

Feast of Throne of Massacre of Herod and Isaiahss Balaam's
Solomon Solomon the Innocents Advisors Prophecy Prophecy
Solomon Ark ofthe Ordering the Burning of Escape in Dream of
instructing Covenant Ships Burned the Ships the Ships the Magi
Sheba

Right Jamb

Annunciation Visitation Presentation of Christ

Angel Virgin Virgin Elizabeth Virgin and Child Simeon
Nebuchadnezzar's Gideon's Annunciation Zachariah and Flight into Fall of
Dream Fleece to Zachariah the People Egypt the Idols
The Burning Aaron's Birth of John Naming of John Christ and Return to
Bush Rod the Baptist the Baptist the Doctors Nazareth

FIGURE 6. Amiens,Cathedral,quatrefoilsof jambs(drawing:author).

FIGURE 7. Amiens, Cathedral, left jamb, quatrefoils, Magi cycle (photo: FIGURE 8. Amiens, C.athedral, left jamb, quatrefoils, Magi cycle and
author). Solomon and Sheba (photo: author).

Testamenttext, MatthewII: 1-16. The story is also found
in the Protoevangeliumof Jamesand in the ArabicGospel
of the Infancy.'4Both Balaamand Isaiahprophesizedthe
coming of the Magi. In the upperrightquatrefoilbeneath
the first Magus, one sees Balaampointingout the star to
threeMoabitesas recountedin NumbersXXIV: 17:" . . . a
star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a sceptershall rise
out of Israel"(Fig. 7). This connectionwas first drawnby
Irenaeus(ca. 115-202),'5and thereare manyexamplesof
Balaamand the Magifound together,such as in the archi-
volt in the left portal at Laon. At Amiens, Balaam'slis-
tenersnumberthreeas prototypesof the ThreeWiseMen.
Next to that medallionis the singlefigureof Isaiahin
his prophesy of the Adoration (Fig. 7). Isaiah LX: 1, 6
tells us:
Arise, shine:for your light has come, and the glory
of the Lord has risen upon you. . . A multitudeof

150
 camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian of Tarsus,followed by his henchmendestroyingthem and
and Ephah;all those from Sheba shall come. They settingthem afire. Arnobiusthe Younger(ca. 460) was the
shall bringgold and frankincense,and shall proclaim first to connect the ships of Tarsusof Psalm XLVIIIwith
the praiseof the Lord. Herod and the lWagi,and to suggestthat the returnof the
Magiwas by ship.24Anselmof Laon (1050-1117)madean
This passagewas first connectedto the Magi narrativeby exhaustivecompilationfrom previouscommentators,and
InnocentIII.l6It was recitedon the day of Epiphany,and added that the Kings returnedby ship to Persia,and that
explains the representationof the Magi next to Solomon Herod,in a fury, burnedthese shipsaftertheirreturn.25
and Sheba. The Liber Antiphonariusof Gregorythe Great also
This quatrefoilhas a remarkablysimilarprototypein refers to this event, as does the Golden Legend.26The
the secondwindowof the northchoiraisle at Canterbury. 17 escape of the Magi on the ships of Tarsus, although not
The lancet shows the standingfigureof Isaiahoutsidecity common,can be found in earlierpainting,if not sculpture.
walls and pointingupward.An earlierexampleexists in a A lectionary(1197-1198) from Speyer,now in Karlsruhe,
marginal decoration of the Theodore Psalter, which is shows the Magi in a ship being guidedby a Tarsian.27The
dated 1066,wherethe figureof Isaiahstandswith a scroll hand of the foremost Magus is raised in much the same
in one hand and the other raised.l8The connections be- manneras that in Amiens, and the prow of the vessel is
tween Canterburyand Amienswere fairly close, with sev- also similar. A twelfth-centuryfresco from the church of
eral referencesto Canterburybeing made in the cartulary S. Mariade Tahull, now in the Musea Arte de Catalunya
of Amiensbetween1091 and 1216.19 at Barcelona,exhibits the Magi before Herod and their
The relief next to Isaiah shows Herod holding court escape by ship.28Although there are frequentrepresenta-
with threefigures(Fig. 7). One of them is gesturingtoward tions of Herod orderingthe Massacreof the Innocents,no
the prophetmedallions.Since these figuresare uncrowned, other example exists of his orderingthe Burningof the
they must be Herod'sadvisorswho tell him of the prophe- Ships. Equallyuniqueis the scene of the destructionof the
cies and rumorsof the birthof a king thus the gestureto boats.
the right. Althoughthe confrontationbetweenHerodand Four of the eight scenes in the Amiens Magi cycle
his advisors is mentioned in the Matthew passage, it is contain Herod or his men more than the number of
elaborated upon in the Protoevangeliumof James the scenescontainingthe ThreeMagi themselves.This empha-
Less, along with some of the later messengerscenes.20 sis on Herod may be a responseto the OfficiumStellae,
Herodis accompaniedby advisorsin a tenth-centuryGreek liturgicalplays performedat Epiphany,in which Herod is
manuscript.2'They unroll the book of the prophetswhile the real protagonist.These liturgicaldramasreachedtheir
the Magi stand before Herod'sthroneand an armedguard peak of popularityand development,especiallyin France,
stands behind. The top lintel of the Portal of St. Anne in at the end of the twelfth century.29Whethercoincidental
Paris bearsa similarscene with Herodenthroned,flanked or not, this developmentparallelsthe findingof the bodies
by the Magiand his counselors. of the Magi in Milanin 1158and theirtransferto Cologne
In the lower quatrefoil next to the door, the Three in 1164.
Magi sleep in preparationfor their return(Fig. 7). All lie The origins of the Officium Stellae lay in the brief
beneatha single coverletand retaintheircrowns,while an dramatizationsof the offertory during the Mass of the
angelemergesfrom a cloud to warnthemof Herod'sinten- Epiphany,foundin tenth-centuryservicebooks. Threecan-
tions. This image is not infrequentin medievalart; other tors entered the choir announcingtheir gifts. They pro-
examples of it in architecturalsculpturemay be found at ceeded to the middle choir where one pointed to a star
Autunand Le Mans.22 hanging from a cord. Guided by the star, the Kings ap-
The twelfth-centuryHistoria Scholastica of Petrus proached the altar where they deposited their gifts.30A
Comestor recounts that on the thirteenthday after the versewhichacquiredspecialprominencethroughits use as
Birth of Christ came three kings, Balthazar,Caspar,and the offertory of the Mass of the Epiphany was Psalm
Melchior:". . . from the magnitudeof their knowledge, LXXII: 10: "May the kings of Tarshishand of the Isles
the magi are said to be successorsof the Balaamprophecy renderhim tribute,may the kingsof Shebaand Seba bring
and come from the bordersof Persia and Chaldeawhere gifts!"Furthermore,it was the custom for Christiankings
the Saba river flows, from which the Saban region takes to offer gold, frankincense,and myrrh at the altar on
its name."A star distinguishedby its brightnessand posi- Epiphany.The play may have served as a substitutefor
tion led them, in the way of Sheba, to Christ.They then the ceremonywhen no king was present.31Herod makes
rode their camels to Tarsuswherethey boardedships for his first appearancein a simple version of the play from
their own kingdoms.23The referenceto the ships of Tarsus Nevers(ca. 1060).He is quiet and unassuming,but in later
helps to identifythree more of the less common scenes in versionshe becomesthe irasciblecharacter,surroundedby
the cycle (Figs. 7, 8). The Wise Men escape in their ship, advisors, found in the Bible, the personificationstressed
afterwhich Herodorderstwo of his men to burnthe ships by patristiccommentators.32 A version from Compiegne
151
adds a colloquy betweenthe Magi and Herod'sscribe in
which the Magi declaretheir purpose.Herod bringsthem
before him, then sends a messengerfor scribeswho con-
firm that from Bethlehemcomes the King. Herod sends
the Magi to seek the Child. At Bethlehem,there ia a dia-
logue with the midwives,afterwhichthe Magiare warned
by angels;a messengerthen reportstheirescapeto Herod.
A militaryassistantadvises the slaughterof the children,
and Herod assents.This last scene has no Biblicaland no
Apocryphalantecedent.33 The violence of Herod came in-
creasinglyto dominatethe extendedversions.The slaugh-
ter of the innocents served as a kind of epilogue to the
OfficiumStellae, an example of which may be found in
the Laon version. Moreelaborateworkssuch as the Ordo
Rachalis included the Flight into Egypt, the Fall of the
Idols, and the Returnof the Holy Family-scenes found
in the medallionsof the oppositejamb of Amiens.34
Male was the first to suggest a connection between
liturgicaldramaand Magi iconography,althoughhe later
cautionedagainstattributingtoo freelycertainiconographi-
cal motifs, such as Herod consultingwith his scribes,to
liturgicaldrama alone.35Swoboda speculatedon a con-
nection between the Magi scenes from the mid-twelfth-
centuryfresco cycle in the churchof Lambachand Magi
plays.36Youngconcludedthat a sculpturalimagehad been
used on the altar for the presentationof gifts duringthe
OfficiumStellae,37and Forsythsuggestedthat the wooden
free-standingMadonnasand Child from the eleventhand
twelfthcenturieswerethe imagesutilized.38
Amiens is known to have producedseveralplays, in-
cluding one of the Purificationof the Virgin.39It is not
suggestedherethat the VirginPortalplayeda specificrole
in liturgicaldramatizations,but certainlythe importance
of the role played by Herod at Amiens could be a reflec-
tion of the extendedOfficiumStellaedevelopedin France.
Indeed, Herod's role was the only one that lent itself to
dramaticelaboration.Besideshis inclusionin the quatre-
foils, the jamb figure of Herod at Amiens dramatically
draws attentionto the evil king (Fig. 4). Nowhereelse is
such a figurefound in cathedralsculpture;his glaringvis-
age is unlike any other, and contrasts sharplywith the
serene faces around him. Furthermore,the evil king is
shown being punishedby a plagueof boils and ulcers on
the marmousetbeneathhis feet.
The image of the Magi in art is an ancient one, al-
though cycles of severalscenesdid not developuntil later
in the MiddleAges. Therewereshortfrescocyclesof three
scenes at La Daurade, Toulouse, and the abbey of St.
Aubin at Angers:the Magi before Herod, the Adoration,
and Herodgivingthe Orderfor the Massacreof the Inno-
cents. The Hortus Deliciarum included five scenes: the
Presentationto Herod, the Magi observingthe Star, the
Adoration,the Dreamof the Magi,and the Angel leading
them by the Hand.40A Tetraevangeliumin the Laurentian
Libraryin Florenceis one of the mostcompletemanuscript
152
cycles with six: the Dream of Joseph, Herod consulting
the Scribes, the Arrivalof the Magi in Jerusalem,Herod
and the Magi,the Journeyto Bethlehem,the Adorationin
the Grotto, and the Return of the Magi.4' One of the
earliest sculpturalcycles is that at St. Trophimeat Arles
which includesthe Journey,the Magi before Herod,their
Departure,the Adoration,and the Dream.42The capitals
of the northportalof the cathedralof St. Pierreat Poitiers
representthe Adoration, Herod with his scribes while a
demon talks in his ear, the Magi presentedto Herod,and
their Journeywith servants.43None of these cycles, how-
ever, seems to provide a direct model for the Amiens
grouping.
Two very important changes occur in the Amiens
Magicycle. The Adoration,the centraland oldest element
of the narrative,is omittedfrom the quatrefoilgroup and
moved to the jamb, and the Nativity is eliminatedalto-
gether. Even before a propernarrativecycle of the Magi
developed, a simple Adoration consisting of the Virgin
and Child enthronedwith the ThreeKingscould be found
in Early Christiansarcophagiand catacombs.This scene
was so simple as to exclude any indicationof the usual
Nativitysetting.This recursin the simplifiedscene on the
Amiensjamb. Durandsuggestedthat the scenesrepresented
at Amiens are more glorious than the abasementof lying
in a manger.44Mme. Lefranc,oisPillion theorizedthat the
VirginPortaltympanumis considerablylaterthan the rest
of the fac,ade,probablyfrom the fourteenthcentury,and
that originallythe Nativityand Adorationof the Shepherds
were planned for the tympanum.45That theory was fol-
lowed by a simpler one: the designer forgot to include
those two scenesin the rapiditywith whichthe portalwas
executed.Neithersuppositionis supportedby evidence.A
more likely possibilityis that the Adoration,symbolically
representativeof the pagan recognitionof the True Faith
and the submissionof earthlykings to the King of Kings
was simplified and enlarged so that it could be placed
directly beneath the Triumphof the Churchin the tym-
panum.Thus the most importantfiguresin the Adoration,
the Virginand Child,formthe trumeau,the literalsupport
for theirlatertriumphin Heaven.
There are other narrativecycles of the Magi where
the figures of the Adorationare separated.On the south
portal at Le Mans, on the lower left row of archivolts
forminga continuationof the lintel, the ThreeMagi stand
in one frame facing the Virgin enthronedin a separate
frame.46Similarly,the two innermostMagion the jamb at
Amiens face the trumeauVirgin across the space of the
door, while the third interacts with Herod beside him.
Althoughconsiderablylater (ca. 1260),the north transept
fasade of Notre Dame at Paris had the same arrangement
of Magi and Virginfiguresas did Amiens,and undoubt-
edly used the earlierportalas its model.
Anotheromissionis the Journeyof the Magi. In most
of the more extensive Magi cycles this scene is usually
included,or at least referenceis made to theirjourney by
the inclusionof horses,camels,or servants.47 The Journey
of the Magi would seem to be a natural element in a
Church Triumphantportal, for it symbolizes the wan-
deringsof the non-believersin theirsearchfor truth.Their
journey closely parallelsthat of Sheba, but that, too, was
excluded. The Magi have reachedtheir destination-the
True Faith just as the worshipperwho views the sculp-
ture reachesthe TrueChurch.
Adjacentto the MagigroupstandSolomonand Sheba,
who is the Old Testamentprecursorof the Magi (Fig. 8).
Sheba, who came journeying out of Arabia, symbolized
the Gentiles'search for the True Faith, just as did the
Magi. Her arrivalis recountedin I KingsX: 1-5 and also
appearsin II ChroniclesIX: 1-12. Isidoreof Seville in the
seventhcenturywrote:
Solomon prefiguresthe image of Christwho raised
the house of God in the heavenly Jerusalem, not
with stone and wood, but with all the saints. The
queen from the south who came to hear the wisdom
of Solomon is to be understoodas the Churchwhich
assembles from the utmost limits of the world to
hearthe voice of God.48
Thus Sheba is equatednot only with the Gentilesbut
also with the Church.The four scenes at Amiensare very
literal visual translationsof the Biblical text. The lower
left quatrefoilshows Sheba in a touchinglyhumble posi-
tion with "no more spiritin her,"49while Solomon teaches
her and points to the other three scenes above and to the
side. The submissionof Sheba, her recognitionof Solo-
mon's superior wisdom and thereforethe True Faith, is
also representedin the jamb figure of Sheba, who holds
ratherthan wearsher crown. Directlyabove her, Solomon
is seated at his banquettable. The feast of Solomon also
has parallelswith the weddingfeast of Cana,and therefore
the wedding of Christ and the Virgin. The figure seated
next to Solomon points towardthe seatedking in the next
medallion, but in a more remote way may be directing
one's gaze towardthe Triumphof the Churchin the tym-
panum. In anotherscene, Solomon kneelsbeforethe altar
of the Ark of the Covenant, a further referenceto the
lintel. Finally, the Throne of Solomon is represented.
Solomonhas beencomparedto Christsincepatristictimes,
but it was only in the ninth centurythat RabanusMaurus
expoundedupon the throne:
The throne is the Church in which our Solomon
promulgateshis judgmentsand the soul of the right-
eous man is the seat of wisdom. The throne was
made of ivory which is not an exceedinglyrich mate-
rial, but the elephantfrom whose bones it is made is
a creatureof particularchastity. It is an animal of
singularintelligenceand is united with its mate but
temporarilyand knowsnot a secondmate.50
One very interestingdetail is the supportfor the chair
whichis madeof humanarms.An explanationis suggested
by Rabanus:"Theysignify the comforts of Divine Grace
which raise up the Church to the Celestial Kingdom.''51
Here the divine arms literally raise up the Church (the
Throne)to Heaven.Nicholas of Clairvaux,in his sermon
on the Nativityof the BlessedVirgin,comments:
Our Solomon is not only wise, but wisdomitself;not
only our peacemakerbut our peace. He has made
himself a throne even in the womb of a pure Virgin
wherethat Majestysits whose nod shakesthe earth.52
This helps to explain a leaf in the Speculum Humanae
Salvationis,producedabout 1330.53The Queen of Sheba
kneelsand holds a chaliceat the bottom step of Solomon's
throne, carefully drawn to include all of the furnishings
related in the Biblical reference.The child-likeSolomon
sits on the throne supportedby two disembodiedarms.
The poem belowtells us: "TheThroneof the true Solomon
is the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in which sits Jesus, the
True Wisdom."Thus one could imaginethe ChristChild
seated frontally on the lap of the Virgin whose hands
reach out to steady Him. On the opposite page is the
Adoration of the Magi to the enthroned Virgin. The
Hortus Deliciarumalso shows Solomon's Throne repre-
sentedwith handsas the king receivesSheba.54
Previouscycles of the Visit of Sheba to Solomon are
much less literal than at Amiens. When Sheba appears
alone, the accent is placed on her paganism. On the
KlosterneuburgAltar she is shown as a Negress, the
characteristicrepresentationof the idolatrous.55Whenshe
appearson the thronewith Solomon, accordingto Isidore
of Seville, she is the mystic spouse of the Song of Songs,
as seen in the HortusDeliciarum,whereshe representsthe
Church beside Christ. Also includedin the Hortus Deli-
ciarumare the queen'svoyage and the presentationof her
gifts, both of which clearly prefigure the Magi.56The
Amiens medallions,however,are devoid of referencesto
either the mysticalmarriageof the Song of Songs or the
Journeyof Sheba. It is more literaland didacticthan any
contemporaryrepresentationof Solomon and Sheba.
The opposite jamb of the Virgin Portal holds the
figures of the Annunciationto the Virgin,the Visitation,
and the Presentationof Christin the Temple(Fig. 5). The
two figuresof the Annunciationare nearestthe door. The
marmousetbeneath the Virgin portraysa beautifulnude
Eve with the Serpentand the Treeof Life. The association
of the Genesisscenes with the Annunciationcan be traced
to Zeno of Veronain the fourthcentury.As Eve speaksto
the Devil, Maryspeaksto the angel, and with these words
Paradise begins and ends.57Amiens is one of the rare
153
examples before the fifteenthcenturyof this privatetalk
between Eve and the Serpent in conjunction with the
Annunciation.58
The four quatrefoilsbeneath this group portraythe
Old Testamentprefigurationsof the purityof the Virgin.
By far the most influentialof the Old Testamenttypologies
was HonoriusAugustodunensis'twelfth-centurySpeculum
Ecclesiae.In the sermonfor the feast of the Annunciation,
for example, Honorius recountsthat the mysteryof the
Virgin Birth was foretold by the prophets of the Old
Testament.Moses saw a burningbush which the {lames
could not consumeand in whichGod appeared.So also is
the Virgin who, never burningwith the fire of concupi-
scence, yet received within her the flame of the Holy
Spirit.59The quatrefoilsbeneath the ArchangelGabriel
bear Moses and the BurningBush as well as Nebuchad-
nezzar facing a mountain whose top is tumbling over
(Fig. 9). In Nebuchadnezzar'sdream a statue of many
metalswas destroyedby a stone cut withouthandsfrom a
mountain, and the stone grew large as a mountainand
filled the whole earth. The stone torn from the mountain
is Christ born of an unsullied Virgin. Next to these,
GideonglancestowardHeavenwherea cloud showersthe
fleece at his feet while leavingthe groundarounddry. In
muchthe samedidacticmanneras SolomonteachesSheba
and Herod'sadvisorsgesturetoward the prophecyreliefs
on the opposite jamb, Gideon clearly points toward the
dew-drenchedfleece, the symbol of the ImmaculateCon-
ception. The same may be said of Aaron who holds his
rod in one hand while pointingto the buds and blossoms
with the otheron the adjacentrelief.
Certainlythe designer of Amiens could have taken
the well-knowntext of Honoriusas his source, but it is
also likely that he knew the sculptureof the left portal at
Laon. The tympanumcontainsthe Adorationof the Magi
of the enthronedVirginand Joseph, while the lintel con-
tainsthe Annunciation,the Nativity,and the Annunciation
to the Shepherds.The innerarchivoltscontainangelsand
the Virtuesand Vices. The two outermostarchivoltsare
most innovative and most relevantto Amiens, for they
representthe first examples of Marian typology on a
portal.Therelhas identifiedthe scenesof the thirdarchas
the New Eve, Danielin the Lions'Den, Habbakukcarrying
his Basket,Gideon'sFleece, Moses and the BurningBush,
the Ark of the Covenant, the Temple with the Closed
Gate,and the ProphetIsaiah.60The outerarchholds a girl
with a unicorn, Virgil, Isaac blessing Jacob, Balaam,
Simeon, the Dream of Nebuchadnezzar,the Coronation
of David, a sibyl, and the Three Hebrewsin the Furnace.
In addition to those prefigurationsof Mary's virginity
found at Amiens, her purity is furtherdemonstratedby
Habbakuk'spenetrationof the lions' den with his basket
for Daniel without breakingthe sealed entranceand by
the Three Hebrewswho were thrust into the furnaceand
were not burned. The ErythraeanSibyl was said by
154
Augustine to have proclaimed, "The eternal King will
come from Heaven,"whom he interpretedas Christ.6'She
also proclaimedthe virginityof Mary.The Coronationof
David, the ancestorof Mary,is a prefigurationof her own
Coronationand ImmaculateConception.The unicornis a
well-known symbol of virginity. Virgil proclaimed the
event of a new generationdescendedfrom the sky; Quot-
vultdeusespeciallyproclaimedhim a prophetof the Birth
of Christ.62
Maleexplainedthe BiblicalthemesthroughHonorius'
SpeculumEcclesiaeand the antiquefiguresby their pres-
ence in the liturgicalDrama of the Prophets.63 To Therel,
all of these figurescome to witness the Birthof Christin
the lintel and do homage to Him as the Magi do in the
tympanum.All of the sceneson the innerarchare peopled
by Jews; with the exception of the Coronationof David
and the Three Hebrews,all the figuresin the outer archi-
volt are Gentiles.Furthermore,many of the Gentiles,like
the Magi, are crowned,includingthe sibyl and Nebuchad-
nezzar. Daniel called Nebuchadnezzarthe king of kings,
the head of a kingdomof gold;64accordingto Ethiopian
traditionhe is the son of Solomon and Sheba. Daniel also
said the Three Hebrewswere of a royal race.65Thus even
kings recognizeand bow to the True King. Similarsenti-
ments are recognized in the Virgin Portal at Amiens,
especiallyon the left jamb. Indeed,they are expressedby
many of the same figures:Gideon'sFleece, Moses and the
BurningBush, the Ark of the Covenant,Isaiah, Balaam,
Simeon, and the Dreamof Nebuchadnezzar,as well as the
Three Magi and the Annunciation.Laon, however,does
not includethe Floweringof Aaron'sRod, and stylistically
the designsof individualscenesat Laon are morecomplex
thantheircounterpartsat Amiens.
The next two jamb figures illustratethe Visitation.
Elizabethwas the first to recognizethe New Law, and is
representativeof all that was good in the Old Law. She is
the connection between the Old and New Testaments.
Like the Annunciation,the Visitationgroup at Amiensis
entirelytraditional,but the four quatrefoilsbeneaththeir
feet are moreunusual.They containthe Birthand Naming
of John the Baptistas recountedin LukeI: 11-12 (Figs. 9,
10). The top two medallionsfaithfullyrecordthe Biblical
verses. The beardedpriest Zachariahstands at the altar
and glancesupwardwith a gestureof fear and surpriseas
the Angel Gabrielannouncesthe birthof his son. Because
he doubts the prophecy,he is struck dumb, and mutely
faces the people outsidethe temple, raisinghis handsin a
gestureof feebleness.In the next quatrefoilElizabethgives
birthto the child, and in the last reliefZachariahinscribes
the nameof John on a tablet,as he had beentold to do by
Gabriel, while one of his kinfolk gestures toward him.
Immediatelyhis voice returns.
Althoughthis narrativecycle is not common, icono-
graphic forerunnersdo exist in manuscripts66 and sculp-
ture. The left portal at Sens west,67completedafter 1184,
FIGURE 9. Amiens,Cathedral,rightjamb,quatrefoils,Purityof Virgin
Typologiesand Birthof John the Baptist(photo:author).
is entirelydevoted to the Baptist. The archivoltscenes of
the infancy of John the Baptist includethe Annunciation
to Zachariah,his being struck speechless,the Birth and
Bathing,two scenes of the Naming,and the Circumcision.
None of the Amiens scenes, however, appears to have
been modeleddirectlyfrom those at Sens.
The importanceof John the Baptistto the cathedral
of Amiens is belied by the brevityof the sculpturalnarra-
tive. Its most illustriousrelic, that of the foreheadof the
Baptist, was brought to the cathedralin 1206. John the
Baptist is the precursorof Christ, but more in keeping
with the spiritof the Magi and Shebacycles,he recognized
the Lord, the New Law. The Angel Gabrieldeclaredto
Zachariahthat John would "turn many of the sons of
Israelto the Lord their God."68Closelytied to the empha-
sis on the purityof the Virginin the adjacent.quatrefoilsis
the emphasison the purityof John the Baptist,surelythe
reason his infancyis portrayedratherthan the Baptismof
Christ or the Beheading. Gabriel further declared that
John would be "filledwith the Holy Spirit even from his
mother'swomb." During the Visitation "when Elizabeth
heardthe greetingof Mary,the babe leapedin her womb;
and Elizabethwas filled with the Holy Spirit."69Thisverse
formed the theological basis for the belief that John the
Baptist,while not conceivedwithoutoriginalsin, was born
without it. He was sanctifiedin his mother'swomb by the
very nearnessof Christ.70John's purity was cited by St.
Bernard,who called John the Baptist "the burningand
shining light who was lit with a heavenlyfire even before
his birth.''7lThus John becomesa figure of purityas well
as recognitionof the True Faith.
Adjacentto the Visitationfiguresstandsthe Presenta-
tion of Christgrouping.Simeon,like Elizabeth,recognized
the New Law: ". . . mine eyes have seen the salvation
which thou hast preparedin the presenceof all peoples,a
FIGURE 10. Amiens,C.athedral, rightjamb,quatrefoils,Namingof John
the Baptistand Infancyof Christ(photo:author).
light for revelationto the Gentiles,and for glory to thy
people Israel."72Surely this bears a direct correlationto
the Magi cycle on the oppositejamb.
The Presentationof Christ in the Temple was cele-
bratedas a feast in the East as early as the fourth century
and was introducedto the West, where it becameknown
as the feast of Candlemas,in the fifth. It developedfrom
the Easternfeast in honor of Christ'smeetingwith Simeon
at the entranceof the templeto the Westernfeast in honor
of the Virginand her Purification,which occurredsimul-
taneouslywith the Presentationof the Childat the altar.73
The GoldenLegenddeniesthe implicationthat the Virgin
requiredpurification:
The Virgin Mary was not constrainedto obey the
law of purification,since her childbearingwas not
due to human contact, but to the overshadowingof
the Holy Spirit. Nonethelessshe was mindedto sub-
mit to this law for four reasons;namely,to give an
exampleof humility;to do homageto the Law,which
her divine Son had come to fulfil and not to destroy;
to put a termto the Jewishpurification,and to mark
the beginningof the Christianpurification,which is
the work of faith and purifiesthe heart;and to teach
us to purifyourselvesthroughoutour whole life.74
The Presentationwas the first of the Virgin'sSeven
Sorrows. The second was the Flight into Egypt, a direct
link to the Magi cycle on the opposite jamb (Fig. 10).
Joseph points ahead towardthe relief of the falling idols.
Accordingto Pseudo Matthew XXIII, as Christ entered
Egypt all of the idols were struckdown; thus false faiths
are shatteredby the presenceof the one TrueFaith.Accord-
ing to the Golden Legend,just as the idols fell, so at the
moment of Christ'sbirth all men who had been guilty of
155
vices were uprooted.75This scene was not uncommonin
the twelfth and thirteenthcenturies.It exists in relief at
Moissacand in thirteenth-century stainedglassat Laon.
The final two quatrefoilscontinuethe Luke narrative
with Christbeing examinedby the doctors in the temple,
and His returnto Nazareth.The youthfulJesus is seated
holding a book in one hand and gesturingwith the other
towarda passagein a scroll. Afterward,the Holy Family
walk toward Nazarethas Mary holds Jesus' hand. Again
one finds an examinationof the True Faith by the Jews
and a journeyportrayed,but this time the VirginMary-
the Church herselfleads the Child back to the safety of
home and salvation.
Up to this point, only the sculpture of the Virgin
Portal itself has been considered,but the prophets and
correspondingquatrefoilson the flankingbuttressesrein-
force the themes of purity and recognitionof the True
Faith.76Accordingto Katzenellenbogen, twelveminorand
four major prophets are arrayedacross the base of the
fasade buttresses.Following their appearancein the Old
Testament,the seriesof minorprophetsbeginsat the right
cornerflankingthe VirginPortalwith Hosea (Fig. 1), and
progressesacrossthe fasade to the left, endingwith Mala-
chi. BeneathHosea are scenes representinghis marriages
at God's command to a harlot and to an adultress.He
convertsboth to chastity.St. Jerome, in his commentary
on Hosea, relatesthis act to the conversionto the Church
of Jews and Gentiles by Christ. The adultress,as Israel,
mustdo penanceandwill then be acceptedinto the Church.
The harlot will also be accepted,even though she previ-
ously worshippedidols.77All who sincerelyrepentcan be
acceptedinto the arms of the Church.The other prophet
medallionsreflectthis theme.
The combinationof elementsat Amiens emphasizes
purityand recognitionof the True Faith. Such idealswere
extremelyimportantin the early thirteenthcenturyto a
revitalizedCatholicChurchas envisionedby InnocentIII.
AlthoughInnocentdied in 1216beforeAmienswas recon-
structed,his influencepervadednot only the reign of his
immediatesuccessor,HonoriusIII, but also the entirecen-
tury. From the very beginningof his papacy in 1198, he
envisioneda new church-state,a papaltheocracywith the
Pope as head of one universal, peaceful kingdom with
kingsas well as clericssubservientto the Churchin Rome.
This ideal kingdomwas far from reality.The monarchsof
Europewere becoming more and more independentand
powerful,while the clericalworld was in need of reform
and centralization.Furtherchallengesto Churchauthority
appeared in heretical movements at home and Islam
abroad.The VirginPortal at Amiensrepresentsthe ideals
of a strong Catholic Church a Church of pious, pure,
and obedient clergy who look to Rome for guidance, a
Church triumphantover heresy and the infidels, and a
Churchdrawingrecognitionand obediencefrom the mon-
156
archs of Europe. Thus the Triumphof the Virgin in the
tympanumis also the Triumphof the Church.
NOTES
1. M. de Cayrol,Essaisur la vie et les ouvragesde P. Daire(Amiens,
1838),120.
2. See A. Katzenellenbogen, "TheProphetsof the WestFacadeof the
Cathedralof Amiens,"GBA,ser. 6, XL (1952),240-61.
3. The basic bibliographyfor the west portalsculptureat Amienshas
been compiled in W. Sauerlander,Gothis Sculpturein France,
1140-1270 (New York, 1972), 466. More recent works include
A. Erlande-Brandenburg, "Leseptiemecolloqueinternationalde la
Societefrancaised'Archeologie,"BullMon (1977),253-93, and my
own dissertation,"TheChurchTriumphant,an IconographicStudy
of the VirginPortalof AmiensCathedral" (BrownUniversity,1978),
on whichthis articlehas beenbased.
4. See Erlande-Brandenburg, 259,
"Leseptiemecolloqueinternational,"
for a summationof the dating.
5. G. Durand, Monographie de l 'eglise Notre-Dame ( athedrale
d 'Amiens,I (Amiens,1901),32.
6. GalliaChristiana,X (Paris,1715-65),1182.
7. Erlande-Brandenburg,"Leseptiemecolloqueinternational," 259.
8. Mme. Luu-van-hoa- Richard, "Les Sculpturesdes portails de la
Bulletinde la Societedes
cathedraled'Amienset leurrestauration,"
Antiquairesde Picardie,XLIX(1961-62),21-22.
9. See W. Sauerlander,"Die Marienkronungsportalevon Senlis und
Mantes,"WRJ,XX (1958),115-62,and G. Zarnecki,"TheCorona-
tion of the Virginon a Capitalfrom ReadingAbbey,"JWC/, XIII
(1950),1-12.
10. See Sauerlander,Gothi(Sculpture,ill. 78.
11. E. Guldan,Evaund Maria.EineAntithesesals Bildmotiv(Grazand
Cologne,1966),93.
12. See H. LudwigKehrer,Die heiligendrei Konige in Literaturund
Kunst(Leipzig,1908-09),and G. Vezin,L'adorationet le (y(le des
imagesdans l'artchretienprimitif;etudedes influencesorientaleset
grequessur l'artchretien(Paris,1950).
13. F. Cabrol,Dictionnaired'archeologiechretienneet de liturgie,10.1
(Paris,1903),986-87.
14. Vez.n,L'adoration,15.
15. Ibid.,29.
16. W. Sturdevant,The Misteriode los Reyes Magos: Its Position in
the Developmentof the MediaevalLegendof the ThreeKings(Balti-
more, 1927),7.
17. See M. H. Caviness,TheEarlyStainedGlassof CanterburyCathe-
dral,c. 1175-1220(Princeton,1977), 12 1 and Fig. 2 1, and B. Rack-
ham, TheAn(ient Glassof CanterburyCathedral(London, 1949),
55. Rackhamtranslatesthe accompanyinginscription:"Thegentiles
shallcometo thy light,and kingsto the brightnessof thy rising."
18. London,BritishMuseum,MS Add. 19352,fol. 92r.
See G. Durand, Inventaire sommaire des arehives departementales
19.
anterieures a 1790, Somme, Arehives eeelesiastiques, V, VI, series G
(Amiens, 1891), G2967 (Registre), fol. 11Iv.
Sturdevant, Misterio, 9.
20.
Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, MS grec. 115, fol. 24v and 25r.
21.
22. See Sauerlander, GothisSeulpture,pl. 16.
See Sauerlander, GothisSeulpture,pl. 16.
23. Petri Comestoris, AlistoriaScholastica,VII 46.
(M igne, PL, CXCVI II, See the Portal of St. Anne at Paris:
1541-42), and Kehrer, Die heiligendrei Konige, 47. Sauerlander, GothisSculpture,
I, 41. pl. 40.
24. Arnobii Junioris, PsalmusXLVII,
Commentarium (Migne, PL, LIII, 48. AllegoriaequaedamSeripturaesanetae,
391). 91-92; translatedby P. F.
Watson,"TheQueenof Shebain Christian
25. Anselmi Laudunensis, Enarrationes Tradition,"in Solomon
in Matthaeum,II (Migne, PL, and Sheba,ed. J. B. Pritchard(London,1974),
CLXII, 1254-57). 116.
49. I KingsX: 5.
26. Sancti Gregorii Magni,
Epistolarum,III, 53 (Migne, PL, LXXVII, 50. Translated by F. Wormald, "The
649). Throne of Solomon and St.
Edward'sChair,"in De ArtibusOpuseula,XL,
27. Karlsruhe, Landesbibliothek, Bruch
I, fol. 13r. See O. Homburger Essaysin Alonorof
ErwinPanofsky(New York, 1969),534.
and K. Preisendanz, Das Evangelistar
des Speyer Domes. Bilder- 5 1. Ibid.
handsehriftdes Xll. Jahrhunderts in derBadischenLandesbibliothek
Karlesruhe(Leipzig, 1930), pl. 13. 52. Ibid.;Forsythascribesthe sermonto Peter
Damian.
28. See W. W. S. Cook and Jose Gudiol 53. Munich,Staatsbibliothek,MS Clm. 146,
Ricart, Ars hispaniae:historia fols. I lv, 12r.See J. Lutz
universaldel artehispanico,VI (Madrid, 1950), Fig. and P. Perdrizet,Speculumhumanae
23. salvationis;kritischeAusgabe,
29. K. Young, The Drama of the II (Mulhausen,1909),pls. 17, 18.
Medieval Church, II (Oxford,
1933: reprinted Princeton, 1967), 29-101, 54. Fol. 209v;Strauband Keller,Alortus,pl.
432-52, lists 22 texts of 54.
which all but seven are from the eleventh
or twelfth centuries. See 55. A. Chastel, "La rencontrede Salomon
also M. A. Skey, "The Iconography of et la reine de Saba
book and the Visual Arts," Comparative
Herod in the Fleury Play- l'iconographiemedievale,"GBA,ser. 6, XLVII(1949),149. dans
Drama, XVII ( 1983),
55-78. 56. Ibid.;see Strauband Keller,Alortus,pl.
54.
30. Young, The Drama, II, 33-35 and 57. Guldan,Eva,56.
O. B. Hardison, Jr., Christian
Riteand ChristianDramain the MiddleAges
(Baltimore, 1969), 35. 58. Ibid.,57.
31. E. K. Chambers, TheMedieval
Stage(Oxford, 1903), 52. 59. E. Male, TheGothisImage(New York,
32. Young, TheDrama,II, 53. 1958),39-40.
60. M. L. Therel,"Etudeiconographiquedes
33. Ibid., II, 56-57. voussuresdu portailde la
Vierge-Merea la cathedralede Laon,"CCM,XV (1972),
41-42.
34. Ibid.,II, 110-14. 61. Sauerlander,GothisSculpture,246.
35. E. Male, "Les Rois Mages et le 62.Therel,"Laon,"47, 49.
drame liturgique," GBA,ser. 4, IV
(1910), 261-70; see his ReligiousArt in
France,the TwelfthCentury: 63.Male, GothisImage,147-50.
A Studv of the Originsof Medieval
lsonography(Princeton, 1978),
126-27. 64.DanielII: 37-38.
36.K. M. Swoboda, "Der Romanische 65.DanielI: 1-3.
Epiphaniezyclus in Lambach
und das lateinische Magierspiel,"
Festschriftfur Julius Schlosser 66.Pericope of HenryII, Munich,
(Zurich, 1927), 82. Staatsbibliothek,MS Clm.4452,
cim. 57.
37.Young, TheDrama,II, 47.
67.See Sauerlander,GothisSculpture,pl. 58.
38.I. Forsyth, The Throneof Wisdom
(Princeton, 1972), 221. 68.LukeI: 16.
39.E. Wright, TheDisseminationof
LiturgicalDramain France(Bryn 69.LukeI: 41.
Mawr, 1936), 112.
70.J. H. Emminghouse,St. John the Baptist
40.See A. Straub and G. Keller,
Alerradede Landsberg,AlortusDeli- (n.p., n.d.), 6.
ciarum(Strasbourg, 1901), pis. 27, 29. 71.S. BernardusAbbas Clarae-vallensis,In
nativitateS. Joannis Bap-
41. tistaesermo(Migne,PL, CLXXXII,333-34),
Florence, Laurentian Library, MS Plut. VI, 23, translatedby Y. Hirn,
fols. 6r, 6v, 7r. TheSarredShrine(London,1912),511.
42.
See R. Hamann, Die Abteikir(hevon St.
Gillesund ihre kunstler- 72.
LukeII: 30-32.
is(he Nachfolge,I (Berlin,1955), Figs. 250, 251,
249.
43.
L. Schreiner, DiefruhgotischePlastik 73.
D. C. Shorr, "The Iconographic
Sudwesttrankreichs; Developmentof the Presentation
zum Stvle Plantagenetzwischen 1170 Studien in the Temple,"AB, XXVIII (1946), 17- 19.
und 1240 mit besonderer
Berucksichtigung
der Schlussteinzyklen(Cologne, 1963), Figs. 74.
Jacobus de Voragine,The Golden Legend,
55.
54, translatedby G. Ryan
and H. Ripperger(New York, 1969),150.
44.
Durand, Monographie,I, 398.
75.
Hirn,Sa(redShrine,348-49.
45.
Mme. Lefrancois Pillion, "Une enigme de
l'iconographie a la cathe- 76.
See Katzenellenbogen,
"Prophets,"240-50.
drale d'Amiens," Bulletinde la So(iete des
Antiquairesde Pi(ardie, 77.
S. EusebiiHieronymi,Commentariorum
XLII (1948), 346. in Osee, I, 4 (Migne, PL,
XXV, 844).

157