Corpus of Medieval Misericords. France

Misericords in France, covers approximately 300 churches that still contain gothic misericords with carved figures and narratives inspired by oral traditions such as proverbs and folk tales, as well as by manuscript marginalia, romanesque capitals, illustrated bibles, engravings, and playing cards. A vast portrayal of medieval life 'is displayed in these carvings under the seats of choir stalls along with costumes of the times, town and collegiate architecture, mechanical devices. Puns and rebuses are often intertwined with these themes to produce comic and mysterious puzzles. The global view of misericord carvings, generally ignored in studies of medieval art, is here presented as a multidisciplinary basis for further research by sociologists, historians, archaeologists and other medieval scholars. Following volumes include misericords in Iberia, Flemish and northern Europe and Great Britain.