Sculpture upon a House on the North Side of the Cathedral at Bayeux 1819

John Sell Cotman made this pencil drawing of a sculpture on a house in Bayeux in 1818. Cotman was part of a generation of British artists who turned to the European continent, especially France, in search of the picturesque. The architecture in the artwork creates meaning through its links to France’s medieval past. By sketching a sculpture found on a private residence near the Bayeux Cathedral, Cotman is inviting us to consider the relationship between the sacred and secular spheres. How are we to understand the relationship between the symbols of power, the church, and the symbols of wealth, the home? The presence of heraldic shields suggests aristocratic patronage, and the gothic details point to the deep roots of the local elite. Historical sources tell us more. We might look into records of property ownership in Bayeux at this time, as well as sources on the artistic and architectural history of Normandy. Through this work, Cotman asks us to consider the social structures of early 19th-century France.