We set seeing Cluny, now renamed with its more prestigious title above, as the day's major project. The undertaking was a little deflated when we discovered that its most prominent display, the lady and unicorn tapestries, are visiting Japan at the moment.
Vacationing exhibits are a tourist hazard in Paris: the Musée Picasso is still closed after, I think, 4 years and won't re-open any time soon; the some of the Monets have flown south to Australia, and the surly curators of Delacroix musée turned us away from their premises earlier this week because, as best we could understand, we did not have a Paris museum pass. Why should tourists be obliged to buy a pass (that is a rip-off in its own demands, designed for the 3 countries in a week tours) in order to visit a poky museum under repair? We walked away. I note from Trip Advisor that some people do get in for nothing- “Skip it unless the studio and gardens are open:
I visited the museum in November 2012. Unfortunately, both the studio and gardens were closed. That left a few rooms with sparse furniture and paintings to visit. It was so bad that they didn't actually charge ."
End of gripe.
However Cluny is very rewarding even with the temporary absence of the unicorn lady. The Museum is partly located in Gallo-Roman baths that are worth a visit in themselves. There are many magnificent tapestries, stained glass, and statuary from the earliest Middle Ages. The museum claims 24,000 items; we saw a fraction of them and were overwhelmed.
Every good museum has something quaint. Cluny's is a set of heads of the kings of Judah that were lopped off Nôtre Dame façade statues during the Revolution by an angry mob who, although knew what they were representing also thought they represented French kings. They were accidentally dug up in a garden in 1977. Too late to be put back in place on the cathedral.
One priceless artefact is the earliest known rose made of gold.
The excellent audio guide made the visit an educational tour de force, and was supplemented by a pithy pamphlet summarising the buildings and each of the collections so we can't do better than quote it: "the museum offers an invaluable insight into medieval arts and society from the 5 th to 15 th centuries, thanks to its highly varied collections- tapestries, fabrics and embroidered works stained glass windows, sculptures, paintings, goldsmith pieces, ivories, and items from daily life."
Vacationing exhibits are a tourist hazard in Paris: the Musée Picasso is still closed after, I think, 4 years and won't re-open any time soon; the some of the Monets have flown south to Australia, and the surly curators of Delacroix musée turned us away from their premises earlier this week because, as best we could understand, we did not have a Paris museum pass. Why should tourists be obliged to buy a pass (that is a rip-off in its own demands, designed for the 3 countries in a week tours) in order to visit a poky museum under repair? We walked away. I note from Trip Advisor that some people do get in for nothing- “Skip it unless the studio and gardens are open:
I visited the museum in November 2012. Unfortunately, both the studio and gardens were closed. That left a few rooms with sparse furniture and paintings to visit. It was so bad that they didn't actually charge ."
End of gripe.
However Cluny is very rewarding even with the temporary absence of the unicorn lady. The Museum is partly located in Gallo-Roman baths that are worth a visit in themselves. There are many magnificent tapestries, stained glass, and statuary from the earliest Middle Ages. The museum claims 24,000 items; we saw a fraction of them and were overwhelmed.
Every good museum has something quaint. Cluny's is a set of heads of the kings of Judah that were lopped off Nôtre Dame façade statues during the Revolution by an angry mob who, although knew what they were representing also thought they represented French kings. They were accidentally dug up in a garden in 1977. Too late to be put back in place on the cathedral.
One priceless artefact is the earliest known rose made of gold.
The excellent audio guide made the visit an educational tour de force, and was supplemented by a pithy pamphlet summarising the buildings and each of the collections so we can't do better than quote it: "the museum offers an invaluable insight into medieval arts and society from the 5 th to 15 th centuries, thanks to its highly varied collections- tapestries, fabrics and embroidered works stained glass windows, sculptures, paintings, goldsmith pieces, ivories, and items from daily life."
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