Fantastic figures are everywhere in the imaginary of the Middle Ages: fire-breathing dragons, majestic unicorns and other astonishing creatures were the subject of numerous myths and legends at that time. This rich medieval bestiary, between reality and symbolism, inspired European artistic creation of the early Middle Ages and the Gothic period.
During this talk, L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, invites you on a journey to discover these fantastic figures through the lens of the precious arts, particularly textiles and goldsmithing. You will observe how these creatures are depicted through the study of lampas, croziers, reliquaries and jewels dating from the medieval period.
This talk will be broadcast online from the Musée de Cluny, the French national museum of the Middle Ages. Located in the heart of Paris, it is the only national museum in France entirely devoted to the Middle Ages. The private mansion where it is installed, named after the abbots of Cluny, is built up against Gallo-Roman baths and provides a privileged setting for over 24,000 works of art. Among them, the six famous tapestries of “La Dame à la licorne” [the Lady and the unicorn], which you will be able to observe during this talk.
Speakers:
Christine Descatoire, Curator & Head of the Musée de Cluny's collections of goldsmiths' and silversmiths' wares and western fabrics
Inezita Gay-Eckel, Jewelry Historian and Lecturer at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
French session with simultaneous translations in Cantonese, English, Mandarin and Japanese
Monday July 1st at 6pm (Hong Kong time)
French Session with simultaneous translations in English
Tuesday July 2nd at 1am (Hong Kong time)
This online conversation will be broadcast from Musée de Cluny in Paris.