Unicorns are Free

Spent the morning at the Musee National de Moyen Age, aka the Cluny Museum. I'd never been to the Cluny and was pleased to make my first trip there with the dear boy. The Cluny (5th arr.) is partly situated on the former location of the 3rd century Gallo-Roman baths and is devoted to all manner of medieval precious arts. Which is to say religious art, mostly. Which is to say I thought we might be bored. But we were not.

The density of artistic detail, be it on tapestries, stained glass, iconography, plating, military craft, or reliquaries really is mind-boggling. Nik especially enjoyed the much celebrated Lady And The Unicorn tapestries (and now looks forward to seeing the film version of the '04 Tracy Chevalier novel of same). Suffice to say, the Cluny is a very worthwhile, if somewhat unsung, Paris museum experience.


Here follow some pics from the Cluny:

The bottom panel of this stained glass window from a.d. 1170 depicts St. Nicholas bestowing a big bag of casheesh on the father of a trio of prostitutes. Legend has it the big gift of money saved the girls from a life of brotheldom...

Le bebe Jesus in these four virgin/child statuettes looks rather French. No?

Some other Cluny stuffs:

Ouch!