Well of Moses
Factual Information:
From: Chartruse de Champmol, Dijon, France
Period: 1395 - 1406
Period: 1395 - 1406
General Information:
This large well which was never completed is the masterpiece of the dutch artist Claus Sluter. The well was intended for use by the Carthusian monastery of Chartreuse de Champmol as a burial site for Philip the Bold, a Burgundian Duke. The sculpture is in a style that appears to combine a form of Gothic with the characteristic northern realism.
The fountain is rich with symbolism, like most northern artworks. It symbolizes a fountain of life, over which would flow the blood of Christ over grieving angels seen at the top. the figures around the fountain are Old Testament prophets, like Moses, David, and others. Moses is shown as an elderly prophet holding a book and loosely clothed with a very large beard along with horns, because of a mis-translation of the bible. Sluter used intense observation of normal human appearance to help him make this work.
The fountain is rich with symbolism, like most northern artworks. It symbolizes a fountain of life, over which would flow the blood of Christ over grieving angels seen at the top. the figures around the fountain are Old Testament prophets, like Moses, David, and others. Moses is shown as an elderly prophet holding a book and loosely clothed with a very large beard along with horns, because of a mis-translation of the bible. Sluter used intense observation of normal human appearance to help him make this work.
Why This Artwork?
This artwork was chosen because it brilliantly shows the form of sculptures done during the Early Northern Renaissance. The form which is very realistic approach with a Gothic twist.