The Central Tympanum at Vézelay
Adolf Katzenellenbogen
The central tympanum in the narthex of Abbey Church Sainte-Madeleine at Vézelay, which was created between about 1120 and 1132, has proved to be one most tempting brittle iconographical enigmas mediaeval art (Figs. 1, 2). Its explanation been attempted time again with a wide variety results.1 In more recent years conflicting opinions have narrowed down two different interpretations, established by Émile Mâle Abel Fabre.2
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