Publisher's Synopsis
In the field of medieval archaeology the most important and dramatic rediscovery is unquestionably the 364 fragments of statuary that originally adorned one of the greatest cathedrals of the Gothic age, Notre-Dame de Paris. This extraordinary find in April 1977, was well documented by records providing specific details on the sculptures' deliberate destruction-one of the most perverse acts of Revolutionary fanaticism. Not only did the discovery measurably increase knowledge of Gothic sculpture during its classical period, 1150-1250, but it also resurrected works of haunting beauty.
It is most appropriate that the Metropolitan and the Cleveland Museum of Art, two American museums with long and strong traditions of collecting in the field of medieval art, should collaborate in arranging an exhibition drawn from this extraordinary group of sculpture. William Wixom, former Curator of Medieval Art at the Cleveland Museum, and former Chairman of the Metropolitan Museum's Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, coordinated this collaborative venture between our two museums. [This book was originally published in 1979 and has gone out of print. This edition is a print-on-demand version of the original book.]
