Sluter's "Pleurants" and Timanthes' "Tristitia Velata": Evolution of, and Sources for a Humanist Topos of Mourning

• Autores: John F. Moffitt
• Localización: Artibus et historiae: an art anthology, ISSN 0391-9064, Nº. 51, 2005, págs. 73-84
• Idioma: inglés
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• Dialnet Métricas: 1 Cita
• Resumen

  • Claus Sluter (c. 1360-1406) is now celebrated as the Netherlandish sculptor who introduced both "naturalism" and "compassion" into post-medieval art. Focusing on his Tomb of Philip the Bold (mostly executed between 1404 and 1406), this study examines a particular motif: Sluter's "pleurants", or grief-stricken mourners with veiled faces. In this case, the motif - originally called "Tristia velata" - is shown to have been a commonplace in classical-era texts, so revealing the "humanistic" sources of Sluter's art. The "veiled grief" topos is also traced in Renaissance texts based on the same classical-literary legacy.