Sculpture in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance had different forms and different styles, but in each case sculpture as an art form changed from the previous era to a more important position in relation to other types of artwork and in relation to the purpose of sculpture itself. In the Middle Ages, sculpture achieved an importance in itself that it did not have in the late medieval period in Europe. In both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance era, sculpture involved a revival of certain earlier forms and styles as well, recalling an earlier period and Classical originals in the case of the Renaissance.
The era of the Middle Ages is divided into more than one period. Janson (1986) notes that during the Romanesque period, there was a revival of monumental stone sculpture that was remarkable because there had been no indication before that this trend was developing. Janson writes: "Free-standing statues, we will recall, all but disappeared from Western art after the fifth century; stone relief survived only in the form of architectural ornament or surface decoration, with the depth of the carving reduced to a minimum" (p. 289). The only continuous sculptural tradition in early medieval art was for sculpture-in-miniature. Between 1050 and 1100, stone sculpture developed rapidly, along with the growth of religious fervor in the lay population. There was resistance, however. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, notes Janson, wrote in 1127 and denounced the sculptured decoration of churches as a vain folly and diversion that tempted people to read the marble instead of their books. Janson notes: "His was a voice not very much heeded, however; for the unsophisticated layman, any large piece of sculpture inevitably had something of the quality of an idol, and it was this very fact that gave it such great appeal" (p. 289).
Vyverberg (1978) notes that during the late medieval period, sculpture was primarily an expression of religious fee...