Frontal of Avià, around 1200

 

Frontal of Avià, around 1200

 

Frontal of Avià, around 1200

This frontal is an excellent representation of the so-called art of the 1200, which is characterized by the influence, in the Christian West, of Byzantine art renewed in the 12th century through English miniature and art of the Croatians.  The frontal-piece is centred on the figure of Maria as Sedes Sapientiae or the throne of wisdom, with the Child on the lap and flanked by four scenes from the childhood of Jesus.  The stylistic influence of Byzantium is perceivable in the sculptural modelling of the bodies, in the treatment of the faces in three-quarters, and in the vestiges of golden vegetable decoration of the background.  The position of Maria is also of Byzantine origin in the Nativity scene, in which she remains seated on a bundle of straw.

 

 

Altar frontal from Avià, Anonymous, circa 1200