Early Gothic Saint-Denis: restorations and survivals (review)

Reviews 229 with the subsequent legend of 'The maid of Week' is one example, as is also Anne F. Sutton's retracing of the many roles of Lady Joan Bradbury. Sutton's investigation of the silkwoman Alice Claver, while sketchy concerning her life before widowhood, offers insights into the functioning of female business and social networks. The interest of other chapters lies in their ability to demonstrate the variety of economic and legal activites undertaken by women, such as the essays by Elspeth Veale and Caroline Barron which show widows working in crafts dominated by men. Similarly, those by Stephen O'Connor and Jenny Stratford offer examples of the extensive legal and business responsibilities shouldered by medieval women. Significandy, in some cases the widows studied appear to be overshadowed by their husbands and families, as in Kay Lacey's study of Margaret Croke. However, the essays by Jennifer C. Ward, Helen Bradley, and Carole Rawcliffe offer intimations of how these women perceived their identities. While the life of Margaret Stodeye is presented largely in relation to those of her father and husbands, Rawcliffe's chapter shows clearly how civic politics and marital strategies could intertwine. Readers may suffer from 'will fatigue' reading this volume and disagree with the more optimistic assumptions about the lives of medieval women. For instance, should the expectation that widows' would continue their husbands' businesses after their death be interpreted as an 'opportunity', or as an indicator of women's relative status and freedom? Nonetheless, this collection of essays represents a valuable contribution to our knowledge about medieval women's lives, taking women as historical subjects and showing their range of activity and agency. Stephanie Tarbin Department of History University of Western Australia Blum, Pamela Z., Early Gothic Saint-Denis: restorations and survivals, Berkeley/Los Angeles/London, University of California Press, 1994; paper; pp. xii, 187; 23 monochrome plates, 35 monochrome figures; R.R.P. US$25.00. This is a fascinating book for students or scholars who know generally of the pivotal role of the church of Saint-Denis in the development of the style known as 'Gothic' and want to know more. The title is, however, a misnomer, since Blum is concerned exclusively with the sculpture of the 230 Reviews central western portal of the church. This limited focus is actually a strength, since general discussions of Saint-Denis' architectural innovations are common, whereas precise details of ornamentation are rare. Blum's analysis is refreshingly enthusiastic and easy to follow. Chapter One, 'Saint-Denis in history', reviews the history of the church and the development of the cult of St Denis in France, concentrating on Suger's rebuilding which was dedicated on 9 June 1140. The subsequent damage to the structure due to the Hundred Years' War and the later Wars of Religion is briefly alluded to, and the chapter concludes with the work of eighteenth century antiquarians and the devastation of the church during the French Revolution. The result of this damage was pitiable: 'the church, stripped of its golden altar frontals, costiy altar furnishings, royal regalia, and centuries of accumulated treasure, servedfirstas a temple for the Cult of Reason and subsequendy as a granary. By April 1794 the building had become uninhabitable' (p. 9). Blum's opinion in Chapter Two, 'Nineteenth-century restorations', of the attempts made during the nineteenth century to 'restore' Saint-Denis is highly critical and the chapter reads as a catalogue of complaints. In Chapter Three, 'The great tympanum of the central portal', the book hits its stride and its real value becomes apparent. The writing treads comfortably between highly technical descriptions of details of carving and accessible general comments. The fine illustrations which are at the back of the volume assist the reader in identifying not only which figures are being discussed but also which sections of the figures have been restored and by what techniques. The 'A' plates give the figures and die 'B' plates have the restored areas marked by the author. Sections of the detailed analysis are fascinating. W h o , even amongst those of us who have seen the portal ourselves, has noticed the artist's striving to depict 'individual types' in the...