Choir screen panel (one of six)

Nicolas Castille

ca. 1508–10 · Carved oak · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

These panels constitute an early example of the French use of the ancient candelabra motif, favored in Italy, in which abstract ornament, fantastic beings, fruits, and foliage are combined in a vertical arrangement. The roundels at the bottom feature pairs of figures or scenes, such as Saint George slaying the dragon and a musician performing with his dancing dog next to a woman holding a monkey, as well as a profile portrait of the patron, Cardinal Georges d’Amboise (1460–1510). The panels were originally part of a screen separating the choir from the rest of the chapel at the cardinal’s celebrated château de Gaillon in Normandy. The Rouen woodworker Colin Castille supervised the carving of the panels, one of which is based on a design by Giovanni Pietro da Birago (act. 1490-1513).

Artist

Nicolas Castille

Date

ca. 1508–10

Medium

Carved oak

Culture

French, Normandy

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1916