Musée national du Moyen Âge - RMN
The Romanesque World
 

Head of the statue-column :
Queen of Sheba

Head of the statue-column :
Queen of Sheba


Saint Denis around 1137-1140
Limestone
H. 0,365 m ; L. 0, 21 m ; P. 0, 22m 
Purchased in 1986

Cl 23250.



The head ends just under the chin, the figure displaying a crown where the headband has two borders enhanced with a row of pearls and set with cabochons. It is also decorated with horizontal and vertical lines of pearls, separated by two smaller, vertically placed cabochons. The hair set in a headband on each side of the center-parting, falls into narrow hair strands surrounding the face, and giving a triangular shape to the forehead. On the neck, they are held together with a double string in a crossed manner. The bulging eyes coming out of narrow lids are set inside deep sockets emphasizing the eyebrows. The pupils are hollow. The nose is straight, underlined on each side of the nostrils by small wrinkles going down obliquely. The lips are clearly defined, and have two small dimples above a barely marked chin. Although it is broken on the right side from the middle of the crown to the top of the eye, the statue’s strength remains untouched. Notice also that the crown was adorned with florets. We are tempted to attribute the disappearance of florets to damage sustained during the revolution, but because the statue was removed in 1771, it is impossible not to wonder why this happened. The uncertainty we find ourselves facing on the whereabouts of this head between 1771 and 1944 means that it is not impossible that they were lost simply because of their own fragility.

 


 

 

© Musée national du Moyen Âge - RMN

Navigation