Medieval Art: “Anonymity was the norm for artists”
Collected by Cécile Jaurès
Published on
At the Cluny Museum, in Paris, in May 2022. Vincent Isore / IP3 PRESS/MAXPPP
Sophie Dutheillet de Lamothe, curator of paintings and stained glass at the Cluny Museum, explains why the creators of many medieval works remain unknown.
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I subscribeLa Croix: Are there still many medieval masterpieces whose authors are unknown?
Sophie Dutheillet de Lamothe : In sculpture, we are very often unaware of the identity of the artists who created the portals of Romanesque churches and cathedrals. This is also the case for many paintings housed at the Cluny Museum. I am thinking, for example, of the Tarascon Pieta, a highly prestigious work, probably linked to a commission from King René's entourage. For the latter, there are hypotheses about its author but no certainty to date. Anonymity was the norm in medieval art, and in the face of this frustration, art historians are trying to fill the void, sometimes even stretching uncertain attributions.
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