Bust Of Saint Bishop In Polychrome Stone - Picardy, Amiens Region, 15th Century

Made in chalk exclusively extracted in the vicinity of Amiens and Rouen, this remarkable fragmentary sculpture depicts a once-mitred saint bishop, dressed in a sumptuous dalmatic. It is adorned with rich ornamental braid and threads and silks carved brilliantly in the stone, with thoroughness and finesse. The highly ornamental character of the work invites us to attribute it to a talented sculptor active in the last quarter of the 15th century. The good-naturedness that emanates from it, carried by the smiling face of the holy bishop, is entirely characteristic of Picardy sculpture. This sculpture also finds some echoes in the polychrome bas-reliefs of the Legend of Saint Firmin, made between 1490 and 1530, which adorn the southern ambulatory of Amiens Cathedral.