Kneeling Carthusian Monk
Unknown Artist
c. 1380–1400
Medium
marble
Dimensions
25.7 × 14.1 × 6.8 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1966.112
About this artwork
These are the only known surviving sculpted examples of kneeling Carthusian monks. Depictions of Carthusians in the same act of piety are found in paintings such as the one in this room from the Chartreuse de Champmol. These two figures are believed to come from the same Carthusian monastery as the mourners displayed nearby and would have formed part of a private devotional group, probably in a monk’s cell, with a sculpture of the crucified Christ or the Virgin positioned between them. They wear...