The Green Man of Cercles

Transcription

1 CERCLES HEADS COMPARED TO SIMILAR ONES ELSEWHERE The Green Men of Cercles where can we see images that are somewhat similar stylistically? As the crow flies, the church of Paussac lies only about 3 kilometers south-east of Cercles and it is likely that the same sculptor worked in both churches. Compare this mask flanked by birds from the exterior wall of Paussac : Fig 1 : Paussac Mask flanked by birds To this one from a capital inside the church at Cercles : Fig 2 : Cercles Mask flanked by birds There is a moon-faced man at Rioux rather similar to one at Cercles.

2 Fig 3 : Rioux Moon Face Photo from web site : Rioux is near Saintes in Charente Maritime. And here is a Moon Face from Cercles : Fig 4 : Cercles Moon Face More heads from Cercles. Note the snake biting its tail.

3 Fig 5 : Moon Face to Snake In Caen, at the Abbaye aux Dames, there are some foliate heads : Fig 6 : Caen Green Men that remind me of a couple at Cercles :

4 Fig 7 : Cercles Heads & Birds Except that these ones are being pecked by birds. Here are some more pictures of Cercles men with birds by their heads : Fig 8 : Cercles Head & Birds 2 Fig 9 : Cercles Head & Birds 3 What kind of birds did the sculptor have in mind? They seem half way to being fish! Note the additional duck-like bird on the left of Fig 9.

5 Here is a very fine mask pecked by birds from near the sanctuary : Fig 10 : Cercles Head & Birds Fig 11: Etriac Head & Birds At Etriac, in the Charente, we have this capital of Green Men and birds. Both these images have hats or maybe baskets on their heads. Pairs of birds pecking human heads are very common in the Aquitaine and also other parts of France. They represent spirituality generally, though the dove, of course, is associated with the Holy Ghost. From pagan times birds have been used to symbolise departed spirits and also messengers from the gods. On the other side of the Pyrenees : Birds pecking a head from Aguero in Huesca, Spain photograph by Anthony Weir Fig 12 : Child & birds from Aguero

6 Click here to see it in more detail : These aquiline birds with a baby may be derived from classical sculpture. Ganymede carried off by Jupiter's eagle perhaps? I found this image of a Ganymede from Carthage : Fig 13 : Ganymede in Phrygian bonnet - made of leaves? Ganymede is wearing a Phrygian bonnet - like some of the Cercles Green Men. In republican Rome, the Phrygian bonnet was worn by slaves who had been freed which is why it was used symbolically in the French Revolution. In the 1 st to 3 rd centuries AD it was associated with Mithras and his companions (see article From Roman to Romanesque ). And here is another Ganymede image, this time, a 2 nd century mosaic from Saint-Romainen-Gal, preserved in the museum of St Pierre. As you see, the eagle is about to peck Ganymede on the head.

7 Fig 14 : Ganymede mosaic, Musée Lapidaire, St Pierre, Vienne, 2ndc Incidentally, there are some fine Green Men in Vienne : Fig 15 : St André le Bas, Vienne, Green Man, Romanesque This one, by the North chapel of the church of St André en Bas, which is reminiscent of one at St Bertrand de Comminges, and this Gallo-Roman one of the 2ndc from the Musée Lapidaire of St Romain en Gal :

8 Fig 16 : St Romain en Gal, Vienne, Green Man, Roman, 2 nd c, 3 photos by Peter Hubert Back to Cercles! Fig 17 : Cercles Green Man Fig 18 : Cercles Green Man in leaf bonnet - Wearing a Phrygian Bonnet it resembles one of those buds made of furled made of leaves leaves which will soon open out : Compare it to this ninth-century capital from the crypt at St Bénigne, Dijon : Fig 19 : Dijon Closer to home, this square-headed man from church at Coutures : the

9 is reminiscent of one from Cercles : Fig 20 : Coutures Square head Fig 21 : Cercles Square head with very similar triangular noses. The mouth of the Coutures masks has been damaged, so is harder to compare. There is an unusual head in Cercles with wig-like hair which reminds one, anachronistically, of John Bunyan : Fig 22 : Cercles head with wig-like hair Fig 23 : Durham head with wig-like hair Is it mere co-incidence that it resembles a 13 th century head from the Chapel of the Nine Altars in Durham Cathedral?

10 Fig 24 : Durham heads in the Chapel of Nine Altars This is alleged to be a portrait of a master mason. Perhaps the similar one in Cercles is, too. Finally, compare this negroid head from Cercles with this head from St Nicolas, Civray : Fig 25 : Negroid head from Cercles Fig 26: Negroid head from Civray

11 And this one from Illats in the Entre deux Mers, Gironde : Fig 27: Negroid head from Illats Or this head from Gerona : Fig 28 : Head from Gerona Museum I have not seen any similar heads elsewhere.

12 (To be continued) Julianna Lees Montagrier 2008