Description
South Porch, Central Portal (The Last Judgment)_
Archivolts-Left--Lowest two Registers
The lowest register of archivolts shows the Blessed. The leftmost three scenes are the blessed with angels. The souls are naked figures standing beside tall angels. The outermost two have crowns. In the next archivolt three small figures of the blessed are "in Abraham’s bosom" (See Luke 16:22). At right , on the innermost archivolt, an angel carries the small, naked figure of a soul.
In the second register, groups of the dead arise from their tombs. (Apocalypse 20: 13-4). Many have their palms pressed together in a gesture of prayer. Some are pushing back the covers of their coffins.
Compare with corresponding panels in the West Rose Window (Deremble-Mahnes no. 143, Delaporte no. 176) and in the Vendôme Chapel Window (Delaporte no. 8, Deremble-Manhes no. 40A).
Most of the souls represented at Chartres are naked, ungendered figures . However, at least in this representation, many of the Damned retain their clothing and their genders- JV
Subject
Cathédrale de Chartres--Pictorial works.;Church decoration and ornament--France--Chartres--Pictorial works.;Church architecture--France--Chartres--Pictorial works.;Christian art and symbolism--France--Chartres--Medieval, 500-1500--Pictorial works.
