Mosan

Refers to a Romanesque school of manuscript illumination, enamelwork and metalwork that flourished in the Meuse Valley from the late 11th to the early 13th century. Although the river runs from northeastern France to the Rhine estuary in the Netherlands, the term Mosan refers, in art historical contexts, to the stretch of river in modern Belgium, particularly the area around Liège and the Benedictine monastery of Stavelot. Within Romanesque art, the Mosan school is distinctive for its more naturalistic, if still idealized, treatment of the human figure. It is also known for its sumptuousness and classical aspects, the latter due to the fact that this area was the home of the classicizing Reims Style in the Carolingian period. Important Mosan artists include Godefroid de Claire, Nicolas of Verdun and Renier of Huy. Mosan metalwork was particularly influential and renowned.