Accounting for taste: American collectors and twelfth-century French sculpture

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A taste for the Middle Ages had existed in the United States since at least the mid-nineteenth century, when architectural revivalism contributed to its popularity. Yet art collectors – with a few notable exceptions – showed little interest in the authentic works of the period. In the early decades of the twentieth century, however, significant sculptures of the twelfth century entered American private and public collections. A seemingly sudden enthusiasm for large-scale sculpture drew progressively more works to the market. Several examples demonstrate well the new lengths to which American collector would go. Particular attention is given here to sculptures originating from Parthenay in southwestern France, whose entrance to
the market brought claims of forgery, theft, suicide, and even murder. It seems that Parthenay’s sculptures, like others purchased by other collectors and museums, appealed to a romanticized conception of the High Middle Ages that took its cue from an imagined noble, aristocratic type.