Romanesque
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Romanesque
(12th c.)
These statues are English Romanesque wood carvings from the 12th and 13th c. Romanesque art had its beginning in the 11th c. and was the first genuinely European style after the fall of the classical civilizations, the ethnic migrations, and the formation of the new European states of the early Middle Ages. In its early phase of development Romanesque sculpture was almost always dependent on architecture being incorporated into the decoration of church facades, portals, capitals etc. The forms were governed by the constriction of the frame, strict hierarchy, scenic effect and rigidity.
These characteristics were only gradually mitigated in later phases of Romanesque development (12th and 13th c.) when there were attempts to make sculptures more rounded and more independent from the architectural surroundings.