Annuciation and Visitation

Annuciation and visitation at Reims Cathedral, 1225 AD- 1245 AD. Late Medieval Ages, Reims, France.

During the Late Middle Ages, the Ottoman empire’s invasion of the eastern Roman empire started and caused citizens to flee. While the citizens from eastern Roman started fleeing, a large number of ancient Greek and Roman cultural documents and precious art pieces to the commercial developed cities in Italy. Some of the emerging bourgeoisies with advanced intellectuals studied these ancient Greek and Roman art works which led to the rising of the classical art styles and the set the foundation for the Renaissance.

On the West Facade of Reims Cathedral, the jamb statues of Annunciation and Visitation are carved on the right side on the central doorway at around 125 CE during the Late Medieval Ages. The two figures on the left depict the annunciation with Gabriel looking at the Virgin Mary, the figures on the right represent the visitation of Mary to Saint Elizabeth. Compare to the Royal Portals, the Annunciation and Visitation sculptures are significantly more developed and details. All the figures resemble freestanding statues bodies and arms in motion, and the biblical figures converse through gestures. The sculptures are also attached to the columns as decoration, but these statues contain more lifelikeness and naturalism. The sculptors carved out the body shape of the figures and set them in motion by set different positions of their body parts such as heads and arms. Also the technique used in the sculptures are more preferable with detailed wrinkles on the clothes, scaled proportion and lively facial expression.