Flemish miniatures

from September 30, 2011 to December 31, 2011 Off-site

For the first time ever, the Royal Library of Belgium and the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) collaborate to present their collections and organize a major cultural event to celebrate the golden age of Flemish miniatures. This joint exhibition will start in Brussels (September the 30th – December the 31st) to continue in Paris (March – July 2012). Different manuscripts will be presented in each of the exhibition areas.

This joint project takes advantage of researches achieved by both institutions in recent years for publication of annotated catalogues. Over 140 outstanding illuminated manuscripts will be put on display. The last exhibition sometimes dates back to fifty years ago. In other cases, some manuscripts have never been presented to visitors before. An original setting will highlight these precious documents without misrepresenting the historical background. Visitors will be invited to discover a medieval universe full of heroes and legends where Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Lancelot and the fairy, Melusine, are next to Renard the Fox, flying dragons and kindly unicorns. Treasures of medieval literature will be presented such as the Histoire d’Alexandre le Grand, the Chroniques et conquêtes de Charlemagne copied by David Aubert, Boccace’s Décameron, the Miroir historial by Vincent de Beauvais, the Première guerre punique, the Chroniques de Hainaut translated by Jean Wauquelin, the Faits et dits mémorables by Valère Maxime, the Cité des Dames by Christine de Pizan, the Renaud de Montauban or the Roman de Girard de Nevers... Breviaries, stories of chivalry and epics will also be on display.

To put Flemish illuminations in their historical and socio-cultural context, several libraries and museums agreed to lend outstanding works from their collections such as: the portraits of the famous booklover and diplomat, Louis de Gruuthuse, and of the Duke of Burgundy, Philippe Le Bon, painted by Rogier van der Weyden (Bruges, Groeningemuseum), the statue of Mary Magdalene, an emblematic work by the sculptor Jan Borman (Brussels, Royal Museums for Art and History), the painting entitled the Fête champêtre à la Cour de Bourgogne (Dijon, Musée des Beaux Arts) or the Dyptique de la Vierge et du Christ de pitié attributed to the workshop of Simon Marmion (Bruges, Groeningemuseum). Without mentioning charters, archive documents, medieval coins and amazing – and beautiful – gaming cards of the “Meister der Spielkarten” that were used as models by miniaturists and lent by the BnF’s Department of Prints.