My Favorite Artwork at Musée de Cluny - Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris

Not far from Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris, lies Musée de Cluny, officially known as Musée National du Moyen Âge, which boasts many magnificent ancient artifacts.  Even for people who are not usually interested in the Medieval era, if they are open-minded enough, they might be pleasantly surprised by many surprisingly vital things they'll encounter there, and might even re-assess their own notions of stilted Middle-Age.

My favorite collection in this museum was a group of six tapestries, under the name of La Dame à la licorne - The Lady and the Unicorn: My only desire and five senses. In the dark room, the pale pink tapestries glowed with unbridled sensuality and it was the culmination of the chivalry culture of the romantic era.


Photo courtesy of Atlant


La Dame à la licorne: A mon seul désir, Musée National du Moyen Âge, Paris, 2008

My second favorite object was harder to pick amongst numerous wonderful things and finally I decided on an ancient tile with a bird dominating the center of the square, painted light on maroon colored background. Evocative pose, rich coloration, fluid lines, economical yet rich in detail, it was startlingly modern and authentically ancient. 

My Favorite Museum Collection Series
>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 75: My Favorite Sculptures in le Jardin des Tuileries
<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 73: My Favorite Artworks at Musée National Eugène Delacroix, Paris

List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited  

Other Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst:
- Musée de Cluny - Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris
- The Cloisters - The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
- My Favorite Paintings at Musée Marmottan Monet
- My Favorite Sculptures at Musée Rodin, Paris
- Revisiting Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena
- My Favorite Paintings from Musée Picasso, Paris
- My Favorite Sculptures at Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Paris
- My Favorite Paintings in Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp (Antwerpen), Belgium

Musée de Cluny - Musée national du Moyen Âge, Paris

Recently unveiled Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay in De Young Museum excited me and brought back many happy memories of my trips to Paris.

One of the highlights of my last visit there in 2008 was Musée de Cluny, officially known as Musée National du Moyen Âge. I have often been indifferent to artifacts and did not bother to find out what this museum was all about. Since my hotel practically is next door to this museum, I decided to utilize my downtime between museum hopping to investigate it, intrigued somehow by its look of a medieval ruin in front and well-kept fortress/castle in the side street.

It turned out to be a gem. I saw many beautiful things - furniture, stain-glass, sculpture, etc. None would exceed the beauty of its center pieces - tapestries: La Dame à la licorne.

On my first visit, some rooms were closed and since it was free, I felt more justified to return and see those rooms. Twice, I spent long time in the Unicorn room and was completed enraptured by the tapestries.

Before we get there, I listed below a few samples of other treasures the museum has:











According to Wikipedia: The Lady and the Unicorn (French: La Dame à la licorne) is the modern title given to a series of six tapestries woven in Flanders of wool and silk, from designs ("cartoons") drawn in Paris in the late fifteenth century.

Five of the tapestries are commonly interpreted as depicting the five senses - taste, hearing, sight, smell, and touch. The sixth displays the words "À mon seul désir", whose meaning is obscure, but has been interpreted as representing love or understanding. Each of the six tapestries depicts a noble lady with the unicorn on her left and a lion on her right; some include a monkey in the scene.


"La Dame à la licorne: A mon seul désir"


"La Dame à la licorne: l'Odorat "


"La Dame à la licorne: l'Ouïe"


"La Dame à la licorne: le Goût"


"La Dame à la Licorne : le Toucher"


"La Dame à la Licorne : la Vue"


Photo courtesy of Atlant

It was a true heaven!