Mediaeval Art in Paris
- The finest collections in the world of the arts and crafts of the Middle Ages, and some major buildings.
- Led by mediaevalist Dr Matthew Woodworth.
- Timed to enable participants to combine it with French Gothic, its ideal companion.
INTRODUCTION
Notre Dame, steel engraving 1879 by J.H. Le Keux.
Architectural achievements of the Middle Ages remain in abundance – cathedrals, churches and castles are among the most prominent features on the topography of Europe. By contrast, first-rate portable artworks are exceedingly rare. Masonry constructions provide for most people the default mental image of the Middle Ages – magnificent, astonishingly accomplished, but some shade of grey or brown, dull of hue and dark of tone.
Colour was omnipresent, however – brilliant pigments in glass, paint and textile, glowing gold, shining silver and polished precious stones. Consummate workmanship and miniaturistic virtuosity were allied to this chromatic richness. The inner sancta of the mediaeval world were of a sumptuousness of effect which is practically beyond imagining, given the scarcity of examples and at least five centuries of wear and decay.
More than anywhere else, Paris is the place where some of this richness can be experienced. The Cluny Museum is acknowledged as having the greatest display of mediaeval arts and artefacts in the world, but it is rivalled by the recently and splendidly refurbished galleries in the Louvre – which nevertheless receive a tiny fraction of the numbers who flock to see the Mona Lisa and theRaft of the Medusa.
Colour was omnipresent, however – brilliant pigments in glass, paint and textile, glowing gold, shining silver and polished precious stones. Consummate workmanship and miniaturistic virtuosity were allied to this chromatic richness. The inner sancta of the mediaeval world were of a sumptuousness of effect which is practically beyond imagining, given the scarcity of examples and at least five centuries of wear and decay.
More than anywhere else, Paris is the place where some of this richness can be experienced. The Cluny Museum is acknowledged as having the greatest display of mediaeval arts and artefacts in the world, but it is rivalled by the recently and splendidly refurbished galleries in the Louvre – which nevertheless receive a tiny fraction of the numbers who flock to see the Mona Lisa and theRaft of the Medusa.
ITINERARY
DAY 1
Leave London St Pancras for Paris by Eurostar at c. 10.30am. Examine Notre-Dame, one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture, built to rival the Abbey of neighbouring St Denis. Check into the hotel and have an early dinner before going to the Louvre for its weekly late-evening opening for a first visit to its superb mediaeval galleries.
DAY 2
Ste Chapelle, built in the 13th century as a shrine for Christ’s Crown of Thorns, is an exquisite example of the Rayonnant Gothic Style which retains its spectacular stained glass. The neighbouring Conciergerie was the residence of the kings before the Louvre, and became the city’s first prison in the late 14th century. The Musée de Cluny, the National Museum of the Middle Ages, contains the 15th-century tapestry cycle The Lady and the Unicorn as well as outstanding sculpture, carved woodwork and precious metalwork. In the afternoon drive to three of Paris’s finest mediaeval churches, St Etienne du Mont, St Martin des Champs and St Eustache.
DAY 3
A second visit to the Louvre to see more of the extensive mediaeval collections. The church of St Pierre de Montmartre is one of the oldest churches in Paris, built on the site of a Roman temple. Take the afternoon Eurostar from the Gare du Nord, arriving at London St Pancras at c. 5.45pm.
Those combining this tour with French Gothic have 24 hours independent time in Paris before taking a train on 7th September at c. 1.15pm to Lille, where the tour begins. This part of the tour is unescorted.
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