In the 13th and early 14th centuries, Paris became a major artistic and political centre, strengthened by the establishment within its walls of royal power and the University. Under the reigns of Philippe Auguste, Saint-Louis, and then Philippe-le-Bel and his sons, Paris prospered and attracted many secular lords and prelates, generating major artistic commissions, particularly in sculpture. The figures became lighter and more precious, with flowing draperies and slender canons. Angels with gentle smiles and charming curls enchanted church portals, altars and precious ivory diptychs. This delicate Saint John in  walnut embodies the quintessence of this style, which was spreading across a large northern half of the country at the time. Dated to the 14th century, it testifies to the talent of the sculptors of the time and rivals several of their most famous creations in the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. A rare example of 14th century woodcarving, which is more sensitive to the vicissitudes of time because of its material, this sculpture offers an exceptional opportunity to complete the highly emblematic panorama of French sculpture during the reign of Philip the Fair and «The Accursed Kings».
 

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