Architectural ceiling boss with four faces, probably from the Church of St. Andrew at Cullompton / Artist Unknown, England

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Record Details

Accession Number
1968/2.47
Title
Architectural ceiling boss with four faces, probably from the Church of St. Andrew at Cullompton
Artist Nationality
English
Medium and Support
wood with polychrome
Object Creation Date
circa 1430
Object Creation Place
Europe (continent)
United Kingdom (nation)
England (country)
Devon (county)
Cullompton (inhabited place)
Creation Place 1
Europe (continent)
Creation Place 2
United Kingdom (nation)
Creation Place 3
England (country)
Creation Place 4
Devon (county)
Creation Place 5
Cullompton (inhabited place)
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Style/Group/Movement
Gothic
Dimensions
19.3 cm x 19.3 cm x 3.5 cm (7 5/8 in. x 7 5/8 in. x 1 3/8 in.)
Century
15th century
Primary Object Classification
Sculpture
Primary Object Type
carving
Secondary Object Classification
Decorative Arts
Secondary Object Type
architectural element
Physical Description
This ceiling boss features four faces with traces of paint that are arranged in a radial pattern with the crowns of their heads converging on a single, central point. Two of the faces are female, identifiable by the wimples worn on their heads, while the other two, wearing small pointed caps and sporting beards, are male. The symmetrical regularity of the piece is counterbalanced by subtle asymmetries introduced by differences in detail and the sequence of facial types.
Subject Matter
This architectural boss decorated with four faces was originally placed in the crown of a ceiling vault at the point where the ribs of the vault met. The arrangement of the four faces would have reinforced the expansive radial pattern formed by the ribs while the boss itself would have simultaneously emphasized the center of the vault.
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
1009 x 873
File Size
101 KB
Record
1968/2.47
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1968-sl-2.47/1968_2.47.jpg

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1968-SL-2.47:1968_2.47.JPG

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"Architectural ceiling boss with four faces, probably from the Church of St. Andrew at Cullompton; Artist Unknown, England." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1968-sl-2.47/1968_2.47.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
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