Choir Stalls
During church services, clerics and monks sat facing one another in choir stalls, or benches, set perpendicular to the altar, behind a screen. Their hinged seats could be turned up, leaving small supports known as misericords (from the Latin misericordia, or mercy) upon which to rest during long periods of standing. Misericords commonly feature grotesque, imaginative, and even obscene figures. Some believe that such figures embodied the perils of the world, others that they reflect commentary on scripture and theology, yet others that they reflect the medieval sense of humor and love of the imaginary.
Artwork Details
- Title: Choir Stalls
- Date: 15th century
- Culture: French
- Medium: Oak
- Dimensions: Overall: 42 3/4 x 59 1/2 x 23 3/4 in. (108.6 x 151.1 x 60.3 cm)
- Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1916
- Object Number: 16.32.15
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters
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French
15th century
French
ca. 1450–1500
French
early 16th century
French
ca. 1475–1525
French
1508, with later restorations
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