The World Upside Down

This book describes and illustrates one of the most entertaining 'popular' art-forms of the Middle Ages, the misericord - the carved, hinged seats of the choir-stalls found in monastic and collegiate churches and cathedrals.English misericords have their own distinctive style and express a particular sense of humour. Intended as antidotes to the rigorous celibate life of monks, who were themselves often satirized in them, misericords frequently contain bawdy subject-matter and portray scenes more explicit even in their depiction of the 'unmentionable' than the carvings of capitals and the marginal decorations of illuminated manuscripts.The first part of this book describes the development of misericords, comparing Continental examples with English ones and tracing the influences of illuminated manuscripts and prints. The author discusses the working practices of the carvers, the meaning of the subjects and the transmission of ideas from once centre to another. In the second part, which is organised thematically, the iconography of the misericords is examined in greater depth and local variations are explained.Full illustrated with new, specially commissioned photographs and with a map giving the location of all misericords mentioned, this volume will act as a companion to students of medieval art and life and to all those interested in the popular arts.