Apart from ivory, marble and alabaster—which were partially painted to showcase the materials’ natural aesthetic qualities—stone sculptures were often completely gilded and polychromed. These were tasked to a painter who might have operated as a member of the sculptor’s guild. The liberal use of rare materials such as gold leaf and lapis lazuli (or the cheaper azurite) meant that polychromy was an expensive undertaking. Surviving orders indicate that sculptors were compensated less for carving sculptures than painters were for applied the polychrome decorations. Despite the scarcity of pigments, most sculptures were fully polychromed, including features that were destined to be installed outdoors. One such example, the Golden Virgin of Amiens, remained gilded from her creation in ca.1240 until the eighteenth century. The painter also undertook repairs, as evidenced by orders of payment for the treatment of weathered polychromy on statues. Numerous sculptures from the McCarthy Collection retain traces of original polychromy, such as the blue and red pigment remaining on inv. BM #1836. While regrettable, the loss of polychromy on sculptures affords one a glimpse of the Gothic ymagier’s skill. Fine herringbone tool marks are now visible on the figure’s surface. 

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Like many other craftsmen active in the thirteenth century, sculptors belonged to different corporations and guilds. While regulations differed regionally, these organizations dictated the types of sculptures that the ymagiers were to produce, as well as the techniques and materials to achieve them. The Gothic sculptor would have been constrained by the patron’s agendas, which were often religious. While confined to strict rules and hierarchies, the Gothic ymagier was highly mobile across the landscape. Beyond providing consultations and accepting commissions in other municipalities, entire workshops also travelled to participate in large-scale building programs. In the reconstruction of Chartres after the 1194 fire, Laon sculptors were mentioned in connection with Chartres’ central portal of the north transept, while a Sens workshop was credited for the sculptures of the Confessors and Solomon portals. Within this context, one can visualize how Gothic sculptures spread across the landscape and developed national idiosyncrasies. The creation of French Gothic sculptures was enabled by the vast building programs between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, which other regions lacked at the time. Therefore, while bearing French influences, German Gothic sculptures mostly decorated cathedral interiors; Italian Gothic sculptures that showed influences from the Île-de-France region were not as heavily linked to the architecture. Further afield, the portals of English cathedrals were too shallow to loyally accommodate French models. For this reason, sculptural elements were rarely seen on English portals. It is this rationalization of labour and collaborative spirit that potentially hinders efforts towards attributing particular sculptures to a single hand.