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Obere Pfarre, Bamberg: Bride Portal (2)

Posted by MadScientist (Düsseldorf, Germany) on 4 February 2010 in Art & Design.

Continuing our stay at the bride portal, we're now looking at the Foolish Virgins.

I'm not so sure if their original meaning had anything to do with wisdom and foolishness; in my opinion this portal is reminder of the good and the bad days in every marriage. If this would be true, we had to call them the Happy and the Sad Virgins, each of them representing a special facet of happiness and sadness.

If you want to see them in colour have a look at these Wikipedia images: happy and sad. And here's the complete portal.

Céline from New York City, United States

I like this angle !

4 Feb 2010 6:33am

@Céline: Cheers, Céline!

Abhishek from Hyderabad, India

All of them are so sad!
Anyways, I don't much like the composition I'm afraid. There is too much blank space on right which is not going well with the crowd on left. Maybe you could have taken a vertical shot. Just my opinion!

4 Feb 2010 6:45am

@Abhishek: Sorry for this, but I've seen it differently. Think of it as diptych consisting of this and the other shot.

akarui from Kagoshima, Japan

They don't have really happy expressions :) An other nice view.
For the green it is plants like grass. There are 2 in the foreground that you can better distinguish, I don't know how life can grow there...

4 Feb 2010 12:48pm

@akarui: Cheers, Olivier!
Whatever plants they are, they are real toughies. :-)

MARIANA from Waterloo, Canada

Excellent in monochrome . Somehow these BW shots have a timeless feeling !

4 Feb 2010 4:02pm

@MARIANA: That's why you can many B/W shots from past decades in many books on architecture. You sometime recognize them as old photographs because of people's cloths or cars from decades long ago.

Evelyne Dubos from Le Mans, France

Interesting sculptures. As Mariana in think that in some case B&W gives a timeless dimension, so here it is...

4 Feb 2010 6:15pm

@Evelyne Dubos: And it brings out the details, though the walls of this church have wonderful reddish tones.

B.Held from Santa Fe, United States

a wonderful atmosphere

4 Feb 2010 6:46pm

@B.Held: Certainly a nice (and meaningful) backdrop for a wedding.

Philip from South Wales, United Kingdom

They all look sad to me. It's amazing the amount of detail that these places have.

On a different note - you cannot get away from those 'pigeon wires'. Perhaps it would be easier to shot the things (the pigeons that is not the virgins!).

4 Feb 2010 8:03pm

@Philip: Try that - I'm sure you are getting to know a lot of people, perhaps not from their cheerful side! :-D

Steven from Chicagoland, United States

I think your photos should replace those that they have on the wiki page. Much better detail seen here in your B & W captures. It's interesting to see how much better the foolish virgins have survived intact over time in comparison to the previous ladies. The others must have been located where prevailing winds/jet stream are most prevalent.

4 Feb 2010 8:35pm

@Steven: That's possible, the leftmost lady even lost her head! (What you can see here is a reconstruction.)
Wikipedia: No, thanks! The German Wikipedia is extremely useful and gives a plethora of information, but I never would want to participate in its permanent feuds.

Charles Dastodd from Chicago, United States

a superb capture! they do look quite sad :)

5 Feb 2010 12:45am

@Charles Dastodd: Many thanks, Charles! Much appreciated!

Michael from Shell Village, United Kingdom

Happy they are not, maybe these are left 'on the shelf' - waiting. Very good B/W MS.

5 Feb 2010 12:53am

@Michael: Maybe! But centuries of waiting couldn't dry their tears.

Christine Walsh from Astoria, NY, United States

The one in the middle looks like me in the mornings. I do like both related pics. The detail is great.

5 Feb 2010 2:19am

@Christine Walsh: Haha, do this with male sculptures, and you would find me, too! :-D

JoeB from Brampton, Canada

These are dull virgins, so sad and miserable individually and as a group.

5 Feb 2010 3:01am

@JoeB: Disconsolate for centuries!

Japanalia from Yokohama, Japan

I went to Wikipedia and had a look on all three sites, but.....I must say I prefer your rendition in B&W as it has more substance. And I also like the idea of the Happy &Sad Days of a married life....I must ponder on it!

5 Feb 2010 8:19am

@Japanalia: The Middle Ages were quite pragmatic in their way of life and art, maybe we will never know what these statues were made for, but I think I'm not completely wrong. :-)

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

Happy on one side, sad on the other --about marriage perhaps, or maybe schizophrenia?

14 Feb 2010 7:26pm

@Twelvebit: I think you're talking about bipolar disorder. Why not?