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the life of the Virgin—and inspirationfor the famous “capital frieze” that issuch an important feature of the portalprogram of the western frontispiece.The vibrancy of Fulbert’s episcopacywas later matched by Bishop Ivo (1090-1115). Ivo was a reforming bishop,whose sermons were intended to propagateChristian mysteries to a wide audience:he focused particularly on thestory of Mary, seeing the Virgin’s tunicas a metaphor for the entire Church.Like Bernard of Clairvaux, he found inspirationin the Song of Songs.In 1134 just before the feast of theNativity of the Virgin Mary when thetown blazed with the light of candles,another fire damaged the cathedral.Margot Fassler links the work of reconstructingthe western frontispiecewith its three portals squeezed tightlytogether between two towers, with theendowment of choral offices and theproduction of stained glass windows:critical to her thesis is the notion thatportals and glass need to be understoodas part of the same program as singingand processions. Particularly importantis the way that the ideas developedin liturgy and preaching from BishopsOdo to Ivo found expression in theportal program, which is a vast speculationupon time, especially focussingupon Advent. The passage from Oldto New is marked by the emphatichorizontal line of capitals that bringthe story of the Virgin and the Nativityand Passion of Christ into present time.The figures lining the portals: kings,queens, prophets, and priests form partof the Old and belong to the lineageof Mary. The three tympana provideglimpses of the New and the yet-tobe.Particularly important is the presenceof the Virgin Mary on the right(southern) tympanum as the Throne ofWisdom: the Wisdom of Solomon hasbeen transformed into a new Logoswith the incarnation of Christ. The Virgin’sbody is the new Temple that is theChurch, to be reunited with Christ atthe end of time.There is little not to like about thisbook. It tends at times to be repetitiveand could have been a little shorter.This reviewer, an art historian, wouldhave liked a more systematic descriptionand visual documentation of theportals and windows. We may retainsome skepticism about the extent thatthe non-clerical user of the buildingwould actually be able to “see and understand”all, as the author suggests.But, finally, The Virgin of Chartresis, I believe, destined to find its placeamongst the classic works on thegreat cathedrals of the Middle Ages.It appears at a time when much of thework of many of the scholars of a previousgeneration who attempted tounscramble the meanings of the greatchurch has been questioned: I think ofthe writings of Otto von Simson, ErwinPanofsky, and Emile Mâle. Scholarshipof the past three decades has soughtto establish new ways to unlock themeaning of the cathedral. This book,with its sweeping historical overviewcoupled with detailed analysis andtranscriptions of the liturgical sourcesand investigation of the images, sets anew standard of excellence.WStephen Murray, PhD, was educated atOxford and the Courtauld Institute of Art,University of London. He has been teachingArt History at Columbia University since1986. His publications include books on thecathedrals of Amiens, Beauvais and Troyes;his current work is on medieval sermons,story-telling in Gothic, and the Romanesquearchitecture of the Bourbonnais.“ The quality of the carving your companyhas provided for Bishop Sherlock’s Room is,by common consent, simply outstanding.The craftsmanship on display is extraordinaryand the appearance of the room is remarkableas a result.”Dr. Scott Cooper, Director, Fulham PalaceAgrell Architectural Carving provides bespoke,high quality architectural woodcarving,consultation and design services.Wood carving: With offices in the UK, New Yorkand San Francisco and a capacity of over 50,000hours of hand carving a year, we proudly standby our reputation for producing high qualitywoodcarving on time and within budget, regardlessof project size or location.Consultation and Design: With over 50 yearsexpertise in woodcarving and design, Ian Agrellprovides a unique service that if utilised during theplanning stages can result in significant time andmonetary savings.Contact:New York and SF:(415) 457 4422UK: (01233) 500252www.agrellcarving.comThe Human TouchBook ReviewPhoto: Wikipedia.orgSacred Architecture Issue 21 201231