Denise Borlee - About the Use of Models in Gothic Sculpture : a Drawing of Villard de Honnecourt for an Experimental Art History Test

1. About the Use of Models in Gothic Sculpture :
a Drawing of Villard de Honnecourt
for an Experimental Art History Test
Dr. Denise Borlée
University of Strasbourg

2. Villard de Honnecourt, Album, ca. 1210-
1220, Bibliothèque nationale de France,
ms 19093, f. 18 r°

3. Villard de Honnecourt, Album, ca. 1210-1220, Bibliothèque nationale de France,
ms 19093, f. 18 r°, detail of the head of St Peter.

4. The Cathedral Workshop
Foundation of Strasbourg :
stone cutting and sculpture
workshop
The dimensions of the sandstone
block : 25 x 40 x 25 cm

5. The sculptor’s tools

7. First stage : the roughing (le dégrossissage)
Day 1, 11h43

10. Day 1 : 12h39

11. Villard de Honnecourt, Album, ca. 1210-1220, Bibliothèque nationale de France,
ms 19093, f. 18 r°, detail of the head of St Peter.

12. Villard de Honnecourt, Album, ca. 1210-1220, Bibliothèque nationale de France,
ms 19093, f. 18 v°, detail.

13. Day 1 : 15h10

14. Day 1 : 15h19

15. Check of the proportions

16. Day 1 : 15:38

18. Day 1 : 16h01

19. The end of the 1st day : 17h16
Day 1
Total time =
4 h30

20. Villard de Honnecourt, Album, ca. 1210-1220, Bibliothèque nationale de France,
ms 19093, f. 18 r°, detail of the head of St Peter.

21. Villard de Honnecourt, Album, ca. 1210-1220, Bibliothèque nationale de France,
ms 19093, f. 18 r°, detail of the head of St Peter.

22. Dijon, Notre-Dame church (Burgundy), head of statue
from a western portal, ca. 1220
Strasbourg cathedral, head of statue
from the south transept portal, ca. 1210-1220

23. Villard de Honnecourt, Album, ca. 1210-1220, Bibliothèque nationale de France,
ms 19093, f. 18 r°, detail of the head of St Peter.

24. Day 2
Eyebrows and ears are sketched
State at the end of the 2nd day

25. Day 3

26. State at the end of the 3rd day

27. Villard de Honnecourt, Album, ca. 1210-1220, Bibliothèque nationale de France,
ms 19093, f. 18 r°, detail of the head of St Peter.

28. From Rougemont (Burgundy)
From the cathedral of Reims, north transept portal
From the cathedral of Strasbourg, south transept portal, tympanum

31. Day 7

32. Day 9

33. A shower … to remove dust !

34. After 50 working hours and after the shower, the final result.
The colour of the pink sandstone is now revealed.

35. From drawing … to sculpture in the round

36. Villard de Honnecourt, inverted drawing
Cathedral of Strasbourg, south transept portal,
tympanum of the Dormition of the Virgin,
head of St PeterNot the model but a plausible model