Rare English medieval treasures are presented for the first time in Paris, at the Hôtel de la Marine, on the occasion of an exhibition highlighting the links that united France and England at that time. From Friday June 30 to October 22, visitors to “When the English spoke French” will be able to discover 70 works of art covering the period from the 11th to the 15th century and on loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. “Given the geopolitical context of recent years, we wanted to highlight this link between our two countries,” Amin Jaffer, director of the Al Thani Collection, which serves as the setting for this exhibition, told AFP.
Ivory carvings, old stained glass windows and embroidered chasubles testify to this close relationship, as do jewels and rings set with precious stones, created in Parisian goldsmith workshops and which have been found on English soil over the centuries.
From William the Conqueror to Henry VIII, the selected works retrace 500 years of history. “We have selected the best pieces from our London collection,” said Emma Edwards, assistant curator of the exhibition. Centerpiece, the “Gloucester chandelier” takes place at the entrance. Described as a “masterpiece of English goldsmithing” by Mrs. Edwards, it has Latin inscriptions retracing its owners. From an abbey dedicated to St. Peter in Gloucester, the candlestick traveled to Le Mans Cathedral.
At this time, England was Catholic and one of the sections of the exhibition highlights the exchanges of that time between the monasteries of England and continental Europe. “It was quite complicated to find objects from this period,” noted James Robinson, director of the decorative arts department at the Victoria and Albert Museum. After the break with the papacy under Henry VIII, “everything Catholic was destroyed,” he explained. Objects belonging to the aristocracy and royalty have been better preserved. On the “Valence box”, one of the exhibits, we can see the royal arms of England and the great families of Angoulême and Brittany.
