Roman provincial art in Gaul
(3rd - 7th century)

Stone relief

[Marble sarcophagus showing Peter with the legenaries, Romano-Gallic, Arles] 1. Detail from a marble sarcophagus showing Peter with the legenaries casting lots, Romano-Gallic, late 4th c. A.D. (Arles: Mus. d'Art Chrét.) While the a sense of action and individuation of figures is expected in plebian art, the heavy linear drapery has an expressive effect and reduces the bodies to an interplay of abstract geometric forms.
[tomb slab from the tomb of Bishop Boethius of Carpentras] 2. Stone tomb slab from the tomb of Bishop Boethius of Carpentras (d. 604 A.D.) The "A-W" is backwards probably because this relief was copied from a Coptic metal altar cross seen from wrong side.
[Closure slab showing Christ, from St. Aerre au Nonois] 3. Limestone closure slab of circa 613-620 A.D. showing Christ, from St. Aerre au Nonois (Metz: Mus. central). 38". Christ beneath an arcade with palmette is a north Italian theme.
[Sarcophagus detail, Charenton-du-Cher Abbey] 4. Sarcophagus detail of griffins flanking a fountain of life and, on the lid, a Constantinian monogram. Charenton-du-Cher Abbey, Central France, 7th c. (Musée du Berry, Bourges). Here relief has entirely succumbed to linear pattern, and it draws from both Christian and near eastern pagan motifs.
[End of a sarcophagus at Jouarre Abbey, North Crypt, Tomb of Angilbert] 5. Caste of a relief from one end of a sarcophagus at Jouarre Abbey, North Crypt, Tomb of Angilbert (d. 680), In situ. The four Evangelists face outward from Christ, which is unique to Coptic art. Perhaps 7th-century Coptic refugees found their way to Francia, or perhaps they were among the resident merchants called "Syrians."
[Last Judgement from a sarcophagus at Jouarre Abbey, North Crypt, Tomb of Angilbert] 6. Last Judgement from the same sarcophagus. These orants are unique in Merovingian art and recall Coptic stelae. Also, the expressive style also not typical of the time.
[Detail of Last Judgement, sarcophagus at Jouarre Abbey, North Crypt, Tomb of Angilbert] 7. Detail of Last Judgement from the same sarcophagus. The orantes may reflect Coptic influence, or more broadly, late Roman plebeian narrative.

Minor arts

[Glass containers, Koln] 1. Glass containers, Köln, 3rd c. (Köln: Röm.-Germ. Mus.)
[Silver basin from the Mildenhall Treasure] 2. Silver repoussé basin from the Mildenhall Treasure, 350-375 A.D. (London: Brit. Mus.) Italian or Gallic workshop, but more broadly, typically European provincial.
[Ivory diptych of Sts. Peter and Paul, Roman Gaul] 3. Ivory diptych of Sts. Peter (with keys) and Paul (with book), Roman Gaul, early 5th century (New York, Metropolitan Museum). Classical iconography with provincial head stiffness and eye stylization.
[Glass claw beaker from Nettersheim] 4. Glass claw beaker from Nettersheim, about 5th c. A.D. The highly developed Rhineland glass industry, established by Roman legions settled as limitanei along the Rhine frontier in the fourth century, continued under the Franks.
[Gourdon chalice and paten] 5. Gourdon chalice and paten in gold polychrome, ca. 500 A.D. (Paris: Bib. Nat. Cab. des Méd.) The stepped cell inlay shows both Roman and Germanic influences, demonstrating that the cultural interaction between Gallo-Roman aristocrats and the Frankish army went both ways.
[Ivory diptych leaf of St. Peter, from Mettlach Abbey, Merovingian Gaul] 6. Ivory diptych leaf of St. Peter, from Mettlach Abbey, Merovingian Gaul, 6-7th c. (New York: Metropolitan Museum). Provincial late Roman style: big heads, squat bodies, linear drapery.