Wells cathedral west front

Description

Wells Cathedral west front forms the most important gallery of thirteenth-century carving in northern Europe outside France. One of the earliest Gothic buildings in Britain, it is renowned throughout Europe, the USA and Canada. This major work provides a uniquely detailed look at the construction and sculpture of the Cathedral, and its restoration from earliest times to the present day, thus enabling the modern visitor not only to appreciate, as never before, how the west front must originally have appeared in the mid-thirteenth century, but to gain an understanding of the spiritual reality which it conveyed, and to learn how it was designed and used. The conservation programme, carried out between 1974 and 1986, pioneered techniques for the preservation of the almost 300 medieval sculptures of the west front. It also provided an unparalleled opportunity to record and analyse the sculpture and architecture within which it stands. Jerry Sampson worked alongside the conservators and masons preparing record drawings and reports on the sculptures, photographing and recording the discoveries which were made in the course of the conservation. Out of this has emerged a clear picture of how the facade was constructed and how it looked when the medieval paint was still fresh — a great screen covered with tabernacled saints, the whole glowing with its rich painted and gilded decoration — and how and when repairs were made over its 700-year history. This book examines the phases of construction of the Cathedral; the design of the west front, and its importance as a dramatic backdrop to the great Palm Sunday procession; the formation, activities, tools and methods used by the medieval stone-carvers’ workshops; the form of the original sculptural and painted decoration and the methods used in their creation; the iconography of the sculpture and the liturgical function of the west front; the processes of alteration, decay and damage over the past 700 years; and the innovative methods emploved in conservation, which are now being used as a model for work on projects elsewhere. The sculpture catalogue describes each carving and its method of construction, identifies those represented, where possible, and interprets its meaning in the context of the overall scheme. Containing nearly 150 illustrations in colour and black and white, this book will be invaluable for architects and archaeologists serving in the conservation field and for those who care for historic buildings, while Wells’ seminal place in architectural history makes it essential for those who study Gothic art and architecture. With its detailed examination of the west front’s iconography, giving a unique insight into the spiritual life of the medieval world, the book will also be of interest to medieval historians worldwide. Wells Cathedral West Front is a milestone in architectural and conservation history and is likely to be the standard work on Wells.