Head of a King

       This piece is a sculpture of the head of an unnamed French king created between 1137 and 1140. It was recovered from the facade of the Church of Saint-Denis, a royal abbey. This church was a burial place for French kings throughout the Middle Ages. This head was believed to be part of a larger statue but is surmised to have been separated from its body during the French Revolution. The larger group of statues to which this piece belonged was comprised of various kings and queens meant to symbolize the divine right to power and the hierarchies of power on Earth.
       First and foremost, this piece is a physical representation of some French ruler. It depicts this king with a well-defined face, curly hair, a clean-cut beard, and of course a crown, emphasizing his position of power at the top of the social hierarchy. Curly hair, especially, was presumably a coveted feature (as opposed to baldness), so such a depiction on a statue was a compliment to the king. Additionally, the apparent prevalence of these royal statues on the Church of Saint-Denis characterizes the great distance (in terms of status) between the populace and rulers. These royals were essentially equated to divine creatures, and it was this fabricated divine right that allowed the rulers to maintain power, whilst solidifying their positions in the process (assuming it was the rulers who commissioned the construction of these statues to further their own interests). Thus, this piece is meant to emphasize the vast power of rulers during the Middle Ages, especially French rulers, who were not overthrown until nearly 650 years after the creation of this head.