A History of Caricature and Grotesque in Literature and ArtWright, Thomas
History
A History of Caricature and Grotesque in Literature and Art
Wright, Thomas
Caricature -- History
Sometimes the mediæval artist, without giving any unusual form to
his human figures, placed them in strange postures, or joined them
in singular combinations. These latter are commonly of a playful
character, or sometimes they represent droll feats of skill, or
puzzles, or other subjects, all of which have been published
pictorially and for the amusement of children down to very recent
times. There were a few of these groups which are of rather frequent
occurrence, and they were evidently favourite types. One of these is
given in the annexed cut, No. 105. It is taken from one of the carved
misereres of the stalls in Ely cathedral, as given in Carter, and
represents two men who appear to be rolling over each other. The upper
figure exhibits animal's ears on his cap, which seem to proclaim him
a member of the fraternity of fools: the ears of the lower figure
are concealed from view. This group is not a rare one, especially on
similar monuments in France, where the architectural antiquaries have a
technical name for it; and this shows us how even the particular forms
of art in the middle ages were not confined to any particular country,
but more or less, and with exceptions, they pervaded all those which
acknowledged the ecclesiastical supremacy of the church of Rome;
whatever peculiarity of style it took in particular countries, the same
forms were spread through all western Europe. Our next cut, No. 106,
gives another of these curious groups, consisting, in fact, of two
individuals, one of which is evidently an ecclesiastic. It will be seen
that, as we follow this round, we obtain, by means of the two heads,
four different figures in so many totally different positions. This
group is taken from one of the very curious seats in the cathedral of
Rouen in Normandy, which were engraved and published in an interesting
volume by the late Monsieur E. H. Langlois.
[Illustration: _No. 106. A Continuous Group._]
[Illustration: _No. 107. Border Ornament._]
[Illustration: _No. 108. A Triumphal Procession._]
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