Gothic Head - France End of the 13th early 14th century

This beautiful Gothic head, sculpted at the very end of the 13th century or in the first decades of the 14th century, embodies the finesse and solemnity of medieval art. Carved in stone, it immediately catches the eye with its serene, introspective expression, typical of the sacred figures of the Gothic period.
The features of her face, slightly elongated, are imbued with an austere grace: her high forehead, well-defined eyebrows and thin, slightly half-open mouth convey a sense of inner calm. Her delicately hemmed eyes seem to stare into the distance, evoking both spiritual contemplation and silent humanity. Her finely chiselled hair falls from a bonnet in wavy strands to her temples.

This headdress probably identifies our protagonist as an Old Testament prophet, making him part of a large-scale architectural décor featuring the figures of kings, queens and prophets from the Old Testament, who, by adorning the structural elements of religious buildings, symbolically carry the Church of Christ. But it could also be a Saint Joseph wearing his bonnet, like the famous fragmentary head in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, which is part of the decoration on the rood screen in Chartres.