Category: French
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The Manuscript Collection of Jean de Berry – Day 7
Instead of focusing on a manuscript or a component of one, I’ve chosen to write today about medieval history’s most prolific manuscript collector.
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The Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux – Day 2
The early-14th century Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux introduces us to the Book of Hours, surprising scale in manuscripts, and the wacky world of marginalia.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Reims Cathedral, France
This gargoyle is so strange! From the differences in the stone, I assume that the creepy head is a later alteration or restoration, but I’m still not sure what the figure is supposed to represent. The words “crazed donkey” come to mind, however.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Notre Dame de Paris
This 19th-century grotesque comes from the great Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris.
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Dancers and Skaters by Renoir
A selection of beautiful paintings by Pierre Auguste Renoir – all depicting my two favorite things, ice skating and dancing.
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La Gargouille, the evil dragon gargoyle of Rouen
One highly fanciful legend exists about the origin of the first gargoyle. It concerns a dragon who terrorized the town of Rouen, in France.
