A FRENCH GOTHIC LIMESTONE HEAD, PROBABLY 13TH / 14TH CENTURY the male figure wearing a head dress, raised on a later bronze stand with rectangular base, 35cm high, 49cm high when on stand, restored This enigmatic head, imbued with a serene expression and displaying a fine balance between a life-like naturalism and slightly stylised facial features; is typical of the late Gothic French style. The eyes, set wide apart, slightly narrowed and slanted and framed by highly arched brows, the strong but in proportion nose and sensitively rendered lips are all features associated with limestone carvings of this period. For a comparable Gothic head demonstrating these typical features, see the limestone Head of Joseph, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, circa 1230, inv. 2007.143.