Art of the Capetian Era: The Ile-de-France

The Capetian era, from its inception with the coronation of Hugh Capet in 987 through the death of the final Capetian monarch, Charles IV in 1328, is primarily viewed by historians through the lens of political power, as the period in which rulers whose kingdoms were modest indeed were succeeded by kings who truly controlled France and crafted impressive apparatuses of governance. But recent studies have also considered the vital role that ritual and visual culture played in creating the ideology necessary to define and promote the kingdom of France, and indeed royal identity for male and female rulers was expressed across all media. Although the period that began with Hugh Capet’s reign and extended through that of Charles IV witnessed a flourishing of monumental art and architecture, of the book arts, of stained glass and metal work, “Capetian Art” rarely figures in art historical taxonomies, in contrast to terms drawn from the names of earlier dynasties, like “Carolingian” or “Ottonian,” or indeed, “Plantagenet.” This absence is due both to the long duration of the Capetian reign, and to the strength of the art historical categories of “Romanesque” and “Gothic” into which the three-hundred-plus years of Capetian rule is traditionally divided. These categories seem firmly imbedded in the art historical discourse, despite regular criticism that they are ahistorical and deterministic. Using “Capetian” as an organizing principle allows one to transcend the post-medieval cleavages between monuments and to affirm the role of patronage and political agency in shaping visual culture. Certainly not all art in France between 987 and 1328 can be linked to Capetian sponsorship, but the rebuilding of Paris that began in the twelfth century and reached its apogee in the thirteenth century was due to the importance that Capetian monarchs, beginning with Louis VI, placed on Paris as the capital of their domain. The touchstone monuments of this period, from Saint-Denis to the Sainte-Chapelle, responded to Capetian concerns or direction, and the influence of Capetian kings and queens extended well beyond the Paris basin. In addition to architecture, Capetian tastes led to the development of formulae for authority, through seals, and commemoration, through tomb sculpture. And in manuscripts and stained glass, courtly Parisian patronage led to an effervescence in the painterly arts, in which the agency of Capetian queens and royal daughters played a notable role.