Musee Cluny- Roman Baths and Medieval Art

The exhibits in Musee Cluny encompass the primary characteristics of Medieval Europe- Catholicism, nobility, and low life expectancy. From pieces of broken statues from the original construction of Notre Dame to tapestries of noble families, this museum lended support to popular portrayals of the Middle Ages.

The most renowned exhibit at Cluny is a collection of tapestries called "La dame a la licorne", or "The Woman with the Unicorn". A teenaged princess sits among her slightly anthropomorphized animal companions, like a scene from a Disney movie, and in each tapestry they try to convey one of the five physical senses. The animals were cute, but the most impressive thing about these tapestries how much work must have been required to make them and how well they were preserved. Maybe the colors were slightly faded, but that was the only noticeable wear.

Another impressive exhibit consisted of a collection of handwritten pages from books, complete with illuminations. While admiring the calligraphy and detailed pictures, I could imagine a monk locked in his chamber copying texts day in and day out. Hand copies made by monks was how texts were printed in that era, and seeing samples made me appreciate the work that went into making the few books that were available at the time. That also partly explains the low literacy rates in Medieval France and thus the prevalence of visual depictions of stories and ideas in tapestry and stained glass.

Religion was perhaps the most important ideological force in Medieval France, and the collection of stained glass windows and broken statues from Notre Dame conveyed this. These pieces of art were often the only way most parishioners learned Bible stories, given abysmally low literacy rates. With the help of labels, I could recognize a number of the stories partrayed in the selection of windows, though I mostly admired them for their vibrant colors. Religious motifs were also used in the coffins and tombstones displayed in the museum. Death was a prevalent theme, though portrayals of the crucifixion of Jesus were the only mentions of bloody death.

Hearkening to an even earlier period were the Roman baths that formed the museum's courtyard, and the thought of standing in a Roman public space was formidable. Like the other exhibits in the Musee Cluny, the most impressive aspect is how well everything has been preserved. Being in the presence of artifacts that are so old amazes me still, especially that their physical beauty is still more or less fully intact. I first studied the Medieval period as a second grader in Eugene, Oregon, and it was amazing to see firsthand the sources of the picture of medieval life we examined, to know that there is evidence to support it.