Saint Crispin at LACMA
Like many a work of art done in the Middle Ages, "Saint Crispin" (c. 1500) was by an unknown (or anonymous) artist. There is an interesting descriptioin of this as well:
"Saint Crispin and his brother Saint Crispian, noble-born shoemakers in northern France, were tortured for their Christian beliefs and beheaded in 285 A.D. Crispin, the patron saint of shoemakers, quickly became one of the most popular saints in medieval Europe."
Crispin's fame probably gained further momentum when young King Henry V of England and his army defeated the French on their home turf at Agincourt on Saint Crispin's Day in the year 1415, which Shakespeare was then able to milk it to further use in his play "Henry V" and the famous "Saint Crispin's Day Speech."
The notes say further: "Medieval tradesmen probably could not have afforded to commission a work of art as large as this limestone figure. The Catholic Church, however, often ordered images of popular saints as a form of religious propaganda."
Saint Crispin at LACMA
Like many a work of art done in the Middle Ages, "Saint Crispin" (c. 1500) was by an unknown (or anonymous) artist. There is an interesting descriptioin of this as well:
"Saint Crispin and his brother Saint Crispian, noble-born shoemakers in northern France, were tortured for their Christian beliefs and beheaded in 285 A.D. Crispin, the patron saint of shoemakers, quickly became one of the most popular saints in medieval Europe."
Crispin's fame probably gained further momentum when young King Henry V of England and his army defeated the French on their home turf at Agincourt on Saint Crispin's Day in the year 1415, which Shakespeare was then able to milk it to further use in his play "Henry V" and the famous "Saint Crispin's Day Speech."
The notes say further: "Medieval tradesmen probably could not have afforded to commission a work of art as large as this limestone figure. The Catholic Church, however, often ordered images of popular saints as a form of religious propaganda."