Well of Moses
Type:
Sculptures
Date:
1395–1405
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
France
Medium:
Stone
Dimensions:
prophets approx. 1.8 m tall; total original height approx. 11 m
Description:
The Well of Moses (originally called the Great Cross) is a hexagonal pedestal that once supported a monumental crucifix in the cloister of the Carthusian monastery of Champmol. The pedestal, always sunk into a well, has been enclosed since the seventeenth century; the cross disappeared in the eighteenth.
The pedestal represents six individualized, life-size Old Testament prophets, carved naturalistically in the round by Claus Sluter and painted and gilded by Jean Malouel. Christians believed that these prophets—David, Jeremiah, Zachariah, Daniel, Isaiah, and Moses—foresaw the death of Christ, and each holds a scroll painted with excerpts from his prophecies in Latin. Above the prophets, supported on slim colonnettes, smaller angels weep or make gestures familiar from the Carthusian liturgy (e.g., making a cross with his arms). Originally the figure of Mary Magdalene was shown kneeling at the foot of the crucifix.
The work was commissioned by the powerful Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Bold (d. 1404), a member of the Valois family. Philip founded the Chartreuse (Charterhouse) of Champmol in 1383 and was buried in its church in a tomb designed—earlier than the Well—by Sluter and ultimately polychromed by Malouel. On the Well of Moses, the prophet Jeremiah has the facial features, and wears the purple and green garments, of Philip the Bold, who is depicted kneeling in prayer on the church portal. Records show that Malouel ordered a pair of gilded eyeglasses for Jeremiah in 1402 (now lost), and Philip was known to have several pairs of reading glasses. The monks of Champmol were supposed to contemplate and circumambulate the cross while praying for the soul of their illustrious patron. Their movement was signaled by the gestures and poses of the angels and prophets.
The pedestal represents six individualized, life-size Old Testament prophets, carved naturalistically in the round by Claus Sluter and painted and gilded by Jean Malouel. Christians believed that these prophets—David, Jeremiah, Zachariah, Daniel, Isaiah, and Moses—foresaw the death of Christ, and each holds a scroll painted with excerpts from his prophecies in Latin. Above the prophets, supported on slim colonnettes, smaller angels weep or make gestures familiar from the Carthusian liturgy (e.g., making a cross with his arms). Originally the figure of Mary Magdalene was shown kneeling at the foot of the crucifix.
The work was commissioned by the powerful Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Bold (d. 1404), a member of the Valois family. Philip founded the Chartreuse (Charterhouse) of Champmol in 1383 and was buried in its church in a tomb designed—earlier than the Well—by Sluter and ultimately polychromed by Malouel. On the Well of Moses, the prophet Jeremiah has the facial features, and wears the purple and green garments, of Philip the Bold, who is depicted kneeling in prayer on the church portal. Records show that Malouel ordered a pair of gilded eyeglasses for Jeremiah in 1402 (now lost), and Philip was known to have several pairs of reading glasses. The monks of Champmol were supposed to contemplate and circumambulate the cross while praying for the soul of their illustrious patron. Their movement was signaled by the gestures and poses of the angels and prophets.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
10
Image Credits:
Linda Safran
