The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 1, 2023

Kneeling Carthusian Monk

c. 1380–1400

France, Burgundy, Dijon, 14th century

Marble

Overall: 25.7 x 14.1 x 6.8 cm (10 1/8 x 5 9/16 x 2 11/16 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1966.112

Location

109 Gothic Painting and Sculpture

Description

These are the only known surviving sculpted examples of kneeling Carthusian monks. Depictions of Carthusians in the same act of piety are found in paintings such as the one in this room from the Chartreuse de Champmol. These two figures are believed to come from the same Carthusian monastery as the mourners displayed nearby and would have formed part of a private devotional group, probably in a monk’s cell, with a sculpture of the crucified Christ or the Virgin positioned between them. They wear the recognizable white scapular, a hooded garment with front and back panels tied together with a tab.

Citations
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 61 archive.org
Wixom, William D. Treasures from Medieval France. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967. Reproduced: cat. no. VI 10, p. 234 - 235
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 61 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 70 archive.org
Capron, Emma. "Paintings, Prayers, and Salvation: The Jan Vos Virgins in Context." In The Charterhouse of Bruges: Jan van Eyck, Petrus Christus, and Jan Vos. Emma Capron, Maryan W. Ainsworth, Till Borchert, pp. 13-69. New York;London: The Frick Collection; D Giles Limited, 2018. Mentioned: p. 33-34, p. 1at. #7; Reproduced: p. 35, fig. 18
Exhibition history

Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, 1962: "The International Style" cat. no. 92, repr.

CMA: "Golden Anniversary Acquisitions" The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, LIII (September, 1966), p. 278, cat. no. 53, repr. p. 194.

CMA "Treasures from Medieval France" 1967, p. 234-5, 374, cat. no. 6, repr. p. 235.

Paris, Reunion des Musées Nationaux, Grand Palais, Louvre, "Le siecle de Charles V at Grand Palais, Paris" October 5, 1981-January, 1982, cat. no. 92A, 92B, repr. p. 142.

Dijon, Musée des Beaux-Arts of Dijon (May 28-September 15, 2004); The Cleveland Museum of Art (October 24, 2004-January 9, 2005) "Dukes and Angels: Art from the Court of Burgundy (1364-1419)" exh.cat.no. 96, p. 256, repr.p.257

Bavarian Nationalmuseum, Munich (5/10/2007 - 9/16/2007), the J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008) and Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN (2/13/2009 - 6/7/2009): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"

Treasures of Medieval France. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1966-January 29, 1967).

Le Siecle de Charles V (The Century of Charles V). Réunion des musées nationaux - Grand Palais, Paris cedex 12, France (October 10, 1981-February 1, 1982).

Dukes and Angels: Art from the Court of Burgundy (1364-1419). Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon, Dijon, France (May 27-September 15, 2004); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24, 2004-January 9, 2005).

Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).

The Charterhouse of Bruges: Jan van Eyck, Petrus Christus, and Jan Vos. Frick Collection, New York, NY (organizer) (September 18, 2018-January 13, 2019).

Turn of Eras: Hildesheim as a European Center around 1400. Dom-Museum Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany (organizer) (September 26, 2019-February 2, 2020).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.112