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Eleanor Of Aquitaine Analysis

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Before one can get into the great, yet surprisingly simple, debate over whether or not the capital figural statue heads, on the right side of the apse, in the interior at Notre Dame Du Bourg at Langon are in fact the sculptural depictions of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England; firstly one must have a general understanding of not only Eleanor’s life but of the tradition of Romanesque sculpture.
Starting, a brief synopsis of the life of the great Eleanor of Aquitaine: she was born during the 12th century in 1122 and lived until she was eighty-two. Eleanor was the proud daughter of a distinguished dynasty, and she never forgot her lineage: successors to Carolingians which equalled the Capetians and surpassed the Plantagenets in prestige. …show more content…

As instructed by the illustrious Abbot Suger, King Louis VII, of France, sent his armies to Aquitaine, they got there first. It is important to note that in those days the Kingdom of France itself was very small, and in fact just centred on the city of Paris. Consequently, Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine were married at Bordeaux in July of 1137, which in turn expanded the Kingdom of France. However, Louis VII was the boring second son of France, who anticipated an ecclesiastical career of a monk and not the throne. The marriage between Louis VII and Eleanor was characterised as one of turbulence, with the Mother in law disapproving strongly of Eleanor's impressive wardrobe, and Eleanor, herself, feeling as though Louis neglected her both emotionally and physically, even later complaining that she married a monk and not a king. Her marriage to Louis VII eventually ended. Hastened by the disastrous Second Crusade, in which Eleanor wanted to go as she was bored by Paris and her husband. On the way to the Holy Land she and her maids dressed up as Amazonians, and by the time she got back, there were loads of promiscuous rumours about her time on crusade. For instance, the rumour that she had promiscuous relations with her uncle when in the city of Antioch, which is in modern day Turkey. Wholly ruining her …show more content…

The capital in question, is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art at the Cloisters. According to files at the Cloisters, it is impossible to date exactly when this capital and the seven others at Langon where created, but they are estimated to have been sculpted between 1155 and 1183. The files at the Cloisters also claim, that there is no direct connection can be established between Eleanor and Henry, and the priory of Langon. However in contrary during their nuptial progress, they visited the Church of Notre Dame du Bourg at Langon. As the Church at Langon was well underway but still undergoing construction, thus making the capital dedication possible, even if Eleanor and Henry were not there at the time of the creation of the sculpture, due to the establishment of travelling ateliers masons — the likeness of the most powerful people would have generally been known. The rise of figural sculpture in the Romanesque period occurred simultaneously with the rise of the artist. The early 12th century in Europe, brought about the revival of figural stone sculpture to a high level of stylistic subtlety and iconographic complexity. This expressionist style was combined with theological motifs, nature, and the functionality of images that came to represent a certain truth as reality. It was in this context, that the artist, following the patrons

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