MONTFAUCON, Bernard de
(b. 1655, Soulage, d. 1741, Paris)

Old Testament figures

1729
Engraving
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris

This engraving is from Monfaucon's Monuments of the French Monarchy. In the jambs of the main portal of the Abbey Saint-Denis there were 20 "column statues" of Old Testament kings, queens, and prophets. These were removed in 1771 and only a few fragments survive. A record of their appearance is preserved in Montfaucon's illustration.