Cluny Museum -- Paris, June 2012

The reason I became interested in art history was that for costume design in the drama department at UT, we were required to draw (copy) the clothing shown in art of various eras.  I found I loved the dress of the middle ages, and as I learned more, the architecture and other types of design as well.

The Cluny Museum is housed in two buildings that share the same location -- Roman baths from the 1st-3rd centuries and a medieval abbey from the late 15th century.  Its exhibits are fascinating to me.  I could spend a lot more time there than I did.

My primary goal was to see the Unicorn Tapestries, but the rest of the medieval art and design slowed me down, too.  Be sure to click on these pictures to see them bigger.  If some seem a little dark or blurry or odd in color, I never use a flash in a museum.  It's too damaging to the art. 

This is a lovely madonna and child.

If you click, you'll see that many of these pieces of jewelry and design are from before the year 1000, and most are from around the 5th-6th centuries.

These pieces are about 600 years younger from the 12th century.

Okay.  I admit it.  I could be a hoarder.  That's why it's good to go to museums sometimes to get my pottery fix.

I'm not obsessed with stained glass, but these pieces were nicely displayed.

And I'm not an armor fan, but these shields were beautiful.  That's what you can do if you don't have cable.

I don't think I could build a house with big enough walls to hold the tapestries I could own in a different time and place.  Maybe that's it.  Maybe I did live during this time.  If so, I was probably the woman scrubbing the floors, not the one having someone else bathe and dress me.

The primary reason I went was to see the unicorn tapestries.  As mentioned in the link above, they are in a very dark room.  You have to sit there awhile to allow your eyes to adjust.  My camera adjusted poorly, so here's the link again to see them better.  Just click on the picture of the unicorn under the Tapestries... label. 

I only ended up with the 2 decent shots below.  Do you see any surprises?  The unicorn looks more like a goat than a horse.  I read that there are all kinds of references and metaphors in these works.  Some religious.  Some not so much.

Oops!  A painting sneaked in here.

 As much as I loved the breathtaking beauty of the Unicorn Tapestries, I actually preferred these that show daily life of the times.  Many show ordinary folks doing ordinary work.  More common images are of  religious scenes and rich people.

The Cluny Museum is small and intimate.  The building and the art work took me to a place and time that I love.  I cannot praise it enough.  Even the groups of school kids didn't distract me from what I saw there.