UNIT 9 LATE MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE AND ART (c. 1100–1550s)
Figure 27.18 The Cantwell Knight, Kilfane Church, Co. Kilkenny. c. 1320. This sculpture is from before the Black Death, when the Normans dominated large areas of the country. The figures from the cloister arcade in Jerpoint Abbey are of a later date.
Technique
The over-size sculpture was carved in the round using iron chisels. The work is of good quality, although some of the rendering of fabrics is a little stiff. It compares very closely with contemporary English examples.
Decoration
The knight is dressed for battle, wearing an iron helmet and chainmail. His cloth surcoat is held closed by his sword belt (the end of the sword can be seen behind his leg). His shield carries the Cantwell family crest. Spurs on his feet show that he fought on horseback. The right leg crossed over the left may indicate that he went on the Crusades.
Chest-tomb at Kilconnell Franciscan Friary, Co. Galway
The figures laid out on tombs, which were a feature in the Pale, are much less common in the Gaelic parts of the country. There, chest-tombs with
Figure 27.19 The little figures carved between the pillars of the cloister arcade at Jerpoint Abbey, Co. Kilkenny, illustrate the style of dress worn by the English settlers in the 14th and 15th centuries.
CHAPTER 27 THE ANGLO-NORMAN PERIOD (c. 1200–1500s)
