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Original fileChimeras of Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris. Tower, ca. 1865-ca. 1886
About This Work
This monochromatic photograph captures two sculpted stone chimeras on the exterior gallery of Notre-Dame Cathedral. The creature on the left has a bestial, leonine face and muscular torso, while the figure on the right possesses a more avian, raptor-like head and prominent talons resting on the stone ledge. Between them, partially obscured by the balustrade, sits a human figure in profile wearing a distinct cap. The background shows the cathedral's intricate iron roof railing, conveying the height and spatial depth of the architectural site.
These sculptures were added by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc during the mid-19th-century restoration of Notre-Dame, blending authentic Gothic architectural features with 19th-century Romantic fascination with the grotesque and the medieval revival.
Connected Texts
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
The architect responsible for the 19th-century restoration of Notre-Dame that introduced these specific chimeric sculptures.
Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris
The author's 1831 novel was the primary catalyst for the 19th-century public sentiment that led to the architectural restoration of the cathedral.