Apart from tapestry, the textile arts are not the best considered field in the concert of Western creativity at the end of the Middle Ages. The same is true of embroidery, a little-known discipline, despite the fact that many works - some of them outstanding - belong to this technique.

Despite the fragility of the materials used, there is a wealth of evidence from the Middle Ages to show that this art form played an important role in both religious and secular contexts. We can even draw up a typology of objects that use this "medium", with skills that are as specific as they are virtuoso.

Among the most prestigious pieces produced in this way, the caparison attributed to the horse of King Edward III of England is one of the masterpieces of the genre. Part of the collections of the Musée de Cluny - Musée national du Moyen Âge since the early 20th century, this exceptional embroidery, despite its fragmentary nature, is impressive for its brilliance and the delicacy of its decoration, which blends heraldry with graceful courtly figures that are quite unexpected.

This session, a repeat of a lecture already given five years ago, provides an opportunity to explore this world, looking at the techniques, uses and ornaments used, and the wide variety of them, as well as discovering the places where these delicate objects were created.

Show less